Ancient Athens Was Not a Democracy

In 507 BC, Cleisthenes, the ruler of the city-state of Athens, introduced a new system of governance: democracy. Never before in history had any nation tried governance by the people on such a large, radical scale. However, while Ancient Athens may have laid the groundwork for future governments to institute true democracy, Athens was not a true democracy. To understand how Athens was not a democracy, one must first understand the events leading up to the age of “Athenian Democracy.” The origins of the Athenian ‘democracy’ pre-date most written records. However, historians have through the use of texts such as Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad that “In the earliest history of the Greek world… the political landscape consisted of small-time “kings” ruling over their own homes and immediate surroundings. In certain places, individual kings acquired power over larger territories, and influence over neighboring kings”(Blackwell). Such was the same origins of Athens, whose earliest king was the mythical Theseus. Theseus, according to legend, had a profound impact on the Athenian political landscape. Legend has it that “before Theseus, the peninsula of Attica was home to various, independent towns and villages… Athens being the largest. Theseus, when he had gained power in Athens, abolished the local governments in the towns; the people kept their property, but all were governed from a single political center at Athens. <a href="https://peterlyonhuff.medium.com/ancient-athens-was-not-a-democracy-d13a5dda47ed">Click Here</a>