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Ancient Athens Pillars of Democracy DIRECT DEMOCRACY A Assembly

C Council of 500

C Court

Assembly - Meetings every 8- 10 days - Met at the top of Pnyx Hill - All male citizens who had paid their taxes could attend - All citizens could speak and vote - Usually, at least 6000 citizens had to be present for a vote to be legal - Vote on issues, big and small - Citizens could bring private concerns - Voting usually done by a show of hands - Speeches, debates, listening, discussions, voting The Council of 500 - Full-time government of Athens - Known as the Boule and met in Bouleuterion at the Agora

- In charge of day-to-day operation of Athens, including the agenda for the Assembly - Assembly had final say in decisions - 500 members chosen through lottery (each of the 10 tribes of Attica had 50 representatives) - Council members had to be over 30 years old - Council service lasted one year, the chairman position lasted for one day - Members were paid The Court - Justice system was run by magistrates (like a judge), who were chosen by lottery - Athenians brought complaints to the magistrate - Trial by jury (over 500 people) - Juries were also chosen by lottery and you had to be a citizen over 30 - No lawyers - Plaintiff (the accuser) and defendant (the accused person) - Jury votes guilty or not and decides punishment

Important Places in Ancient Athens Pnyx Hill - Large, open hill - Assembly met here The Agora -

Also known as the market The heart of Ancient Athens where goods were sold People exchanged news and opinions People discussed Athenian politics

The Bouleuterion - The Council of 500, or Boule (boo-lee), met here