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Ancient Athens of Greece
Ancient Greece, is a civilization that still influences society today. Athens was one of the most important and powerful cities in Greece. The name Athens in Ancient Greek was Athenai. The Greeks believed that each city-state in ancient Greece had a god or goddess in charge of it, their special patron. Athens was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The people of Attica chose Athena because of her gift, the olive tree. The Olive tree symbolizes peace and plenty. Ancient Athens influences society by the way government is ran, the philosophies used in sciences and mathematics, and arts that inspire actors and writers today.
Democracy
In 508 BC, Athens was the first Greek city states to fully develop democracy. Democracy came from the Greek words, demos, which means people, and kratein, which means to rule. The development of Athenian democracy was contributed by Solon, Cleisthenes, and Ephialtes. Its main contribution came from Cleisthenses whose reforms turned Athens from a government that was ran by a few people to a government that was ran by of the people.
“Democracy in Athens had the effect of energizing its citizens in the defense of the city, and gave the Athenians a reputation of power and strength (Dynneson, 2008, p. 63)”. This form of government was used in the Assembly or ecclesia. The Assembly consisted of male citizens of Athens who met four times a month in the ten month Athenian calendar. The Assembly would make important decisions on foreign policy, debated on legislative issues, discuss the affairs of the state and sit on juries. No decisions by the government would not be made without first asking the Assembly. The decisions made by the Assembly would be carved into stone and display...
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...onship of the audience to the play and its characters, the use of heightened language, the importance of individual actors dramatizing specific roles, and the use of scenery and special effects.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ancient Athens of Greece has influence how society is today. Ancient Athens of Greece has influenced society by the way government is ran with democracy, the philosophies used in sciences and mathematics, and arts that inspire actors and writers today.
Works Cited
Baird, F. E., & Kaufmann, W. A. (2007). Philosophic Classics, Volume I: Ancient Philosophy. Prentice Hall.
Dynneson, T. L. (2008). City-State Civism in Ancient Athens: Its Real and Ideal Expressions. New York: Peter Lang.
Mautner, T. (2005). The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy. Penguin Books.
Von Silvers, P. (2012). Patterns of World History. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
On which they would scratch the name of the person that represented a threat.”(Doc E)This demonstrates why Athens was a democratic society since not only did civilians get to decide on who is in office and who is not. Furthermore, because democracy means rule by the people, and male citizens of ancient Athens voted laws and officials into place.(doc c) This exemplifies how salient the majority's opinion was instead of opinions of just a few rich men .In addition, Athens “....constitution favors many instead of few.”(doc a) Also Athenians had the freedom to do whatever they desire a long as they did not disrupt any other citizen or violate a law. “The freedom which we enjoy in our governments also to our ordinary life…...we do not feel called upon to be angry with our neighbor for doing what he likes. But all this ease in our private life does not make us lawless as citizens.”(doc A) Therefore, this exhibits that this is a democratic government because this is a characteristic that can be seen in democratic governments today. To summarize why Athens was a democracy.Citizens were free to do what makes them jubilant as long as it did not interfere with the laws or fellow citizens. Male citizens could vote and elect the rulers and vote laws into place. These aspects all demonstrate why Athens
The culture of ancient Greece reflects the importance of the individual in society in many different ways. The Greeks used art, philosophy, and even their system of government to convey their beliefs in the importance of one single man in a society.
The Ancient Greece era played a big role on how we still live today. It contributed its religion, technology, important events, and even its theater to us. Gods and goddesses also played a big role in ancient Greece, which is evidence in the play The Curmudgeon by Meander.
Around 323 B.C., Greece moved away from a theocratic government, and in Athens democracy would be born. Granted it took a bit for the Greek polis to move towards the democratic government, but what matters is that it finally got there.
This Athenian democracy was the first of its kind, and was certainly not the last. After Cleisthenes returned from exile, he created the first real government of the people – the demos, aroun...
During the age of Pericles, the ideal form of government was believed to be a government formed by all of the citizens regardless of wealth or social standing. This was known as democracy, literally meaning “ government of the people” [Document 3.] This government favored the many instead of the few. Athens was a direct democracy, meaning every citizen participated in debates. Western civilization used this philosophy of government by many, and created an indirect democracy where citizens elect officials to make and enforce laws.
Athenian democracy includes participation of all adult, free, male, citizen, made possible for all. If at the beginning and during the thriving period of the Athens democracy the occupations of a state position was considered to be an worthy duty for the citizens, the taking in of ...
The march towards developing a democratic society is often obstructed with societal unrest due to the influence of the status quo on the instruments of power. Before the rule of Solon, Athens underwent this same rule, as there was much discontent among the social classes in Athens. The society suffered financial disparity that often was the trigger for the war among the rich and poor in the society. This was a major factor that forced Solon into power to institute policies that would see a reformed Athens. By so doing, the society was looking for an avenue that would guarantee democracy and a society that is fair for everyone. The city-state of Athens was the epicenter of the revolution for the Athenian democracy during the fifth century BC. In the Athenian democracy, the electorate voted for the legislation of bills instead of a direct democracy where the electorates are tasked with electing representatives who later developed the bill. Among the first people who made significant contributions to the development of the Athenian democracy were Solon (594 BC), Cleisthenes (508/7 BC), Pericles (495 – 429 BC) and Ephialtes (462 BC). Pericles was the longest serving democratic leader who contributed much development in democracy in the city. This paper will give an account of the age of the Pericles.
Athens in Plato’s time provides an apt description of turmoil and numerous political shifts in a short period of time. The Peloponnesian War ended with Sparta as the victor, while Athens became a picture of the devastation of the war. The disparity of Athens became heightened by an onslaught of the plague, the devastating loss of humanity, as well as economic difficulties due to of the cost of the war. Furthermore, the political arena of Athens became controlled by the Thirty Tyrants, who “appointed a Council of 500 to serve the judicial functions formerly belonging to all the citizens” (Gill). Critias and Theramenes, the leaders of the Thirty Tyrants, eliminated the powers of a democracy and began to rule as an oligarchy, executing any who opposed their rule. Plato juxtaposes the oligarchic regime with the concept of justice in his vision of a perfect society. He understands that the imperfections of the human need to be subdued or hidden by organizational efforts. Plato highlights structure and organization by dividing the population into three spheres: guardians, auxiliaries and producers. Each class structure is designated a task, the leader must make fair decisions and decide fairly amongst the population, the guards m...
Baird, Forrest E. Philosophic Classics Volume 1 Ancient Philosophy Third Edition Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ; 2000
The Athenian government was a democratic government, which means it was ruled by the people to vote and have a voice in society. The democracy was slowly formed by leaders Solon and Cleisthenes. Solon took over when Athens was in political turmoil. He introduced new reforms to forgive debts, outlaw new loans, free people that
The origin of Athenian democracy can be followed back to Solon who “is one of the most revered figures in Greek history” because of his wisdom, integrity and political skills writes John Lewis (2008, p.1). Known as the lawgiver of Athens, he created the first constitution “when he was chosen as chief archon in 594 BC” explains William George Forrest (1996, p.30). In the same year, Solon initiated a series of laws and reforms that had a lasting impact on Athenian society. One particular law that Solon reformed, made him very favourable among the community. He let all enslaved Athenians free and relieved them from their debts.
Ancient Greece today is most known for the culture: the gods, the dramas, how people lived. What most people do not realize is that there were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of different civilizations spread throughout Greece that all had different forms of government. The three main ones were Athens, Sparta, and Miletus. Each was very different from the other. The most powerful out of all three was Sparta: a military based society. The Spartan government had a strong foundation that was all torn down by one bad leader.
“The polis itself became a major economic factor in terms of public employment on juries or in large public building projects, like Acropolis, or the famous Athenian navy ( Augustana university, n.d.)” Democracy provided significant benefits in an economically sense as office holders, jurymen members and administrative council of 500 as people where paid for their time served (Cartledge, 2011). “Power to the people, all the people, especially the poor majority, remained the guiding principle of Athenian democracy (Cartledge, 2011).” This government also paid the citizens to attend assembly, this enabled the poor to be able to attend the assembly (Blackwell, 2003). Democracy also contributed to a stronger army and navy” it was evident that the Athenian army and navy were more powerful because their men believed they were fighting for their own democracy and for their own freedom” ( Augustana university, n.d.). Athens this evidence clearly establishes that democracy gave many Athenian citizens employment and it also lead to victory in the wars. This system of government was a revolutionary idea, overall it provided a just government and formed a system were the whole citizen body can actively participate in the political system. This lead to the economic and political success of the democratic system in Athens that has since developed
Before democracy, Athens was a city-state no different than any other. A few powerful, aristocratic families controlled all governing power. Most of the population held little or no role in the political life of the city. Athenians changed this, and created a system where participation was encouraged and opinions were valued. While some other Greek cities were also setting up democracies, none were as stable or well documented as that of Athens. The reason for why the Athenians moved toward a democratic society instead of an oligarchy or monarchy is still debated by historians. However, one common belief is that it rose due to a rapid population growth in their lower class, which may have caused them to have more power in the government compared to other Greek poleis during the Lyric Age. This time period took place between 800 and 500 B.C.; it represents a very vibrant, evolutionary stage in Greek history. The rise of the lower class in Athens probably did help spark ideas of democracy, yet the significant contributions of the political leadership of Solon, Cleisthenes, and Pericles can undisputedly be credited for the primary development of Athenian democracy. In 594 B.C., the first major political and economic reformer Solon came into power. The next reformer was Cleisthenes; he lived from 570 to 508 B.C. The final, and most revolutionary of the three was Pericles. Pericles is responsible for the last and most glorious stage of Athens. By expanding its power and building patriotic pride, he forever changed the system of democracy.