Verified Document

Ancient Greeks It Is Generally Well-Known Around Essay

¶ … Ancient Greeks It is generally well-known around the world -- at least in Western society -- that the ancient Greeks are noted for having launched the system of democracy. At the very lease the ancient Greeks started a kind of democratic system that later was more fully developed. There were other contributions by the ancient Greeks, and they will be presented in this paper.

Democracy

An article in the website for the History Channel (History.com) reports that in Athens during the middle of the 4th century there were 100,000 citizens, about 10,000 "resident foreigners," and an estimated 150,000 slaves. And not everyone was able to vote and participate in the democratic process; in fact only males who were 18 years or older could participate in democracy in that beginning period. So, of the approximately 260,000 people living in Athens at that time, just 40,000 were allowed to be part of the emerging democratic system.

The Ekklesia was the Assembly in Athens; if you were among the 40,000 lucky enough to be able to participate in democracy, you could attend...

These meetings were held 40 times each year in a hillside auditorium near the Acropolis. Decisions were made during these democratic sessions and they mostly involved "war and foreign policy" -- but also the conduct of public officials was a subject covered in the Assembly.
Another innovation in democracy in ancient Greece was The Boule -- a group of 500 men, fifty from each of the ten Athenian tribes, the History.com site explains. Unlike the Ekklesia, the Boule group met daily in order to "…supervise government workers" and supervise the military (ships in the navy and army horses) (History.com). The third democratic institution in ancient Greece was the Dikasteria, which was the court system. There were 500 jurors (all older than 30 years) and they delivered their verdicts according to democratic (majority rule) principles. Aristotle said the Dikasteria "…contributed most to the strength of democracy" because the jurors had "almost unlimited power"; and since there were no police in Athens, so the 40,000 males mentioned earlier could bring an accused person…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Ancient Greece. (2005). Greek Achievements. Retrieved January 31, 2013, from http://www.ancientgreece.com.

History.com. (2009). Ancient Greek Democracy. Retrieved January 31, 2013, from http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-greece-democracy.

Zanakis, Stelios H., Theofanides, Stavros, Kontaratos, Anthony N., and Tassios, Theodosios

P. (2003). Ancient Greeks' Practices and Contributions in Public and Entrepreneurship
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Ancient Greek Theater in Greece,
Words: 2601 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

The skene or 'tent' was the building that was directly behind the stage, and this was where the actors of the drama could enter or exit from. It would usually be decorated as a temple or a palace, and it would have at least one set of doors from where actors could enter the stage. At times, there would be access to the skene form the roof, so that

Ancient Greek Olympics and Their
Words: 6169 Length: 20 Document Type: Term Paper

As Richard Polidoro and Uriel Simri (1996) write, " Most of the athletes participating in the Games of 676 BC probably came from various Peloponnesian districts and had a relatively short distance to travel. Some participants, however, may have traveled from communities located outside the immediate vicinity. Under the sacred truce, or ekecheiria, the athletes, officials, and spectators were guaranteed safe passage to and from Olympia." Another important factor to note

Ancient Civis an Examination of
Words: 1418 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Ancient Greek urban planning dates its glory to Pericles. Temple architecture sourced in a precedent civilization, the Minoan of Crete, is actually reflective of palace architecture from that society's maritime city-state, Knossos (de la Croix, H. And Tansey). The Greek civis was largely informed by astronomy; influencing everything from temple design to the order of the public City-State. 'Archaeoastronomical' patterns beginning with the Geometric through the final Hellenistic period in

Homosexuality in Ancient Greek Literature
Words: 1822 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

In ancient Greek culture, homosexuality was generally accepted between males and, depending on the location, only partially accepted between females. These relationships existed because the modern concept of marriage between loving partners was not the norm, and men and women generally remained segregated from each other in society. Marriages became social and political alliances which were made primarily for the creation of legitimate offspring. Love and emotional fulfillment were mostly

Aphrodisiacs Named After the Ancient Greek Goddess
Words: 1748 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

Aphrodisiacs Named after the Ancient Greek Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, aphrodisiacs are generally foods or aromas that are priced as erotic stimulants (Mallon 1999). Since the beginning of time, cultures have priced certain foods and scents for their aphrodisiac qualities. The Greeks valued onions, carrots, truffles and sturgeon to excite their passions, while the Romans believed that liver of pike, peacock brains and flamingo tongues could inflame romance (Mallon 1999). The Romans

Greek Artifacts the Civilization of
Words: 1921 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Also, this carving is quite sentimental in appearance, for it reflects "the solemn pathos of the Greek citizen, much like some of the sculptures found on the pediment of the Parthenon" (Seyffert, 245). Our last artifact is titled Pair of Armbands with Triton and Tritoness Holding Erotes, made in the Hellenistic period, circa 200 B.C.E. These jewelry objects were apparently designed for a woman of high Greek culture, for they

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now