Athens was a polis on the
southeastern part of the Greek mainland. The Athenian
people valued reading, writing, and music, which
the Spartans scorned. Unlike Sparta, Athens allowed the people born
in their polis political freedom.
The people of Athens created a democracy,
or a government ruled by the people instead of a king. Every adult
male born in Athens became a citizen and a member of the assembly.
The assembly voted on how the polis was governed. To ensure equal
opportunity for every citizen, Athens chose it's leaders by lot
rather than holding elections. The elected officials served for
one year. At the end of the year, the leaders were calledbefore
the assembly to account for their work.
Not everyone participated in Athenian
democracy. Athens encouraged outsiders to move to their polis, but
did not allow them to vote. Women could own land, but could not
actively participate in the assembly. The members of the assembly
accounted for only about one-sixteenth of the total population of
Athens. About one in four people were slaves. The slaves did most
of the work in the polis. This made it possible for the members
of the assembly to spend more time on public affairs.
Athenian democracy was limited, but
it gave some people the opportunity to make decisions about how
they were governed. Participation in government by common people
was a new idea that later became a model for other governments.
Ancient Greece
