§-Quick questions
NSWAncient HistorySection II (Ancient Societies): Athens in the time of Pericles
Quick questions on Athens's radical democracy and political institutions: HSC Ancient History
2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the ekklesia?Show answer
The ekklesia was the sovereign decision-making body of the Athenian state. Any citizen (adult, free, Athenian-born male) could attend, speak and vote. It met roughly forty times a year on the Pnyx hill, voting ordinarily by a simple show of hands (cheirotonia), though a quorum of 6,000 was required for certain especially significant votes, such as an ostracism or the grant of citizenship.
What is the boule of 500?Show answer
The boule of 500, established under Cleisthenes and central to the classical system, comprised 500 citizens, fifty from each of the ten tribes, chosen by lot (klerosis) for a one-year term. Members had to be at least 30 years old and could serve no more than twice in a lifetime, never in consecutive years.
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