The Athenian Constitution

Political structure of Athens

Democracy

The People’s Assembly

Included all male Athenian citizens over 20 and present in Athens

What the People’s Assembly did

Every vote was counted the same, everyone could speak but could be booed off stage if they bored the crowd, the People’s assembly declared war, made peace, gave orders to the People’s Council and elected the Archons and Strategoi, followed agenda set by People’s Council

The People’s Council

500 chosen by lot, citizens had to be able to afford the weapons and armour to fight as a hoplite to be chosen, 50 members from each tribe

What the People’s Council did

50 members at the assembly at any given time, set agenda for meetings of People’s Assembly and solved problems, there was always one member of the People’s Council present so decisions coud be taken in a sudden emergency

The Strategoi

Ten elected each year by the People’s Assembly, one for each tribe, candidates had to be able to afford a war horse to stand for election, all wealthy men

What The Strategoi did

Served as the leader of the armed forces of their tribe

The Archons

Nine chosen evry year, at first selected by People’s Assembly but from 487 BC they were chosen by lot, had be able to afford a war horse to be eligible, so were wealthy

What the Archons did

The Eponymous Archon was the head of state, the Polemarch was the leader of the armed forces, the Archon Basileus was cin charge of religious ritual, and the six Thesmothetai were judges

The Areopagus

Supposed to be a council made up of Athens’s wisest citizens, to join one had to serve as an archon and the People’s Assembly had to look at their accounts and decree that they hadn’t stolen whilst in office

What the Areopagus did

‘guardian of the laws’, could veto any decision of the People’s Assembly which it considered dangerous

Why Areopagus didn’t always work

It rarely vetoed decisions because its members knew that they could be overthrown by the Athenian people if they went against them, so refused to veto anything that was popular

Ostracism

Every People’s Assembly wasasked whether they wanted to hold an ostracism, if yes an election was held where every citizen coould write the name of another on a shard of pottery. Person with the most votes would be exiled from Athens for ten years on pain of death, but could retur after ten years.

Purpose of an ostracism

Removed anyone or was too powerful or had a negative influence on public life without killing them