Ancient Greek Democracy

Many aspects of our culture are derived from the ancient Greeks. Without them, the world would be a very different place. Their contribution to the development of political ideas, inventions, and legacies is crucial to our day to day lives. The most influential philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, were the building blocks of philosophy, as we know it. The Greek philosophers are whom we now call scientists. Democracy has been adopted by many countries around the world and was first recorded in the powerful state of Athens.

The most influential philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, were the building blocks of philosophy, as we know it. These Athenian thinkers asked, “What is a good life?” and “How do we think?” Philosophers

In Ancient Greece, citizens were allowed to vote for their leaders and on new laws. This was democracy (when a person rules over something, it comes from the Greek word Demokratia).This idea is prevalent in our world today. Most of the world's governments today have some sort of democracy where the people get to vote and participate in the government. In ancient Athens, over 30,000 citizens would gather on a dusty hill called the Pynx. Here they would discuss the city’s laws and decide who should sit on its ruling council. All the citizens were men, women and slaves did not get a say. A citizen could speak for the time it took water to run from one jar into another. When this water clock ran out, it was someone else’s turn. A jury of 500 citizens decided if someone was guilty of law breaking. Punishments included death. Citizens could also vote to get rid of people they disliked. Each man wrote a name on a broken bit of pottery called an ‘ostracon’. Anyone named more than 600 times were kicked out of the city. Today, we also live in a democracy. Unlike in ancient Greece, women get to vote, too. Juries of 12 people decide if someone is guilty of a crime - we do not use ostracons