All Topics  
Ecclesia (ancient Athens)

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Ecclesia (ancient Athens)
 
 
  Topics Ecclesia (ancient Athens) Topic Home

The ecclesia or ekklesia (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 ) was the principal assembly of the democracy
Athenian democracy

Athenian democracy developed in the Ancient Greece city-state of Classical Athens, comprising the central city-state of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica, around 500 BC....
 of ancient Athens during its Golden Age
Age of Pericles

The Golden Age is the term used to denote the historical period in Ancient Greece lasting roughly from the end of the Persian Wars in 448 BC to either the death of Pericles 429 BC or the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC....
 (480
480 BC

Sorry, no overview for this topic
–404
404 BC

Events...
 BCE). It was the popular assembly, opened to all male citizens over the age of 18 by Solon
Solon

Solon was an Athens statesman, lawmaker, and lyric poetry. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic period in Greece Athens....
 in 594 BC meaning that all classes of citizens in Athens were able to participate, even the thetes. The ecclesia opened the doors for all citizens, regardless of class, to nominate and vote for magistrates - indirectly voting for the Areopagus
Areopagus

The Areopagus or Areios Pagos is the 'Hill of Ares', north-west of the Acropolis, Athens, which in classical times functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens....
 - have the final decision on legislation, war and peace, and have the right to call magistrates to account after their year of office.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Ecclesia (ancient Athens)'
Start a new discussion about 'Ecclesia (ancient Athens)'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The ecclesia or ekklesia (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 ) was the principal assembly of the democracy
Athenian democracy

Athenian democracy developed in the Ancient Greece city-state of Classical Athens, comprising the central city-state of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica, around 500 BC....
 of ancient Athens during its Golden Age
Age of Pericles

The Golden Age is the term used to denote the historical period in Ancient Greece lasting roughly from the end of the Persian Wars in 448 BC to either the death of Pericles 429 BC or the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC....
 (480
480 BC

Sorry, no overview for this topic
–404
404 BC

Events...
 BCE). It was the popular assembly, opened to all male citizens over the age of 18 by Solon
Solon

Solon was an Athens statesman, lawmaker, and lyric poetry. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic period in Greece Athens....
 in 594 BC meaning that all classes of citizens in Athens were able to participate, even the thetes. The ecclesia opened the doors for all citizens, regardless of class, to nominate and vote for magistrates - indirectly voting for the Areopagus
Areopagus

The Areopagus or Areios Pagos is the 'Hill of Ares', north-west of the Acropolis, Athens, which in classical times functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens....
 - have the final decision on legislation, war and peace, and have the right to call magistrates to account after their year of office. In the 5th century BC their numbers amounted to about 43,000 people. However, only those wealthy enough to spend much of their time away from home would have been able to participate until Pericles
Pericles

Pericles was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of History of Athens during the city's Age of Pericles?specifically, the time between the Greco-Persian Wars and Peloponnesian War wars....
' reforms in early 451-2 BCE allowing payment for jurors. The assembly was responsible for declaring war, military strategy, and electing strategoi
Strategos

The term strategos is used in Greek language to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor....
 and other officials. It originally met once every month, but later it met three or four times per month. The agenda for the ekklesia was established by the Boule
Boule (Ancient Greece)

In the cities of ancient Greece, the boule was a council of citizens appointed to run daily affairs of the city. Originally a council of nobles advising a king, boulai evolved according to the constitution of the city; in oligarchy boule positions might be hereditary, while in democracy members were typically chosen by Sortitio...
, the popular council. Votes were taken by a show of hands.

A quorum of 6,000 was required sometimes to do business. The ekklesia elected by lot annually the Boule or council. Some of their power under Solon
Solon

Solon was an Athens statesman, lawmaker, and lyric poetry. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic period in Greece Athens....
 was delegated to the Courts by Pericles
Pericles

Pericles was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of History of Athens during the city's Age of Pericles?specifically, the time between the Greco-Persian Wars and Peloponnesian War wars....
 in his reforms.

A gang of slaves, called Scythia
Scythia

The Scythians or Scyths were an Eastern Iranian languages of Equestrianism nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic steppe throughout Classical Antiquity....
ns, carrying ropes dipped in red ochre (miltos, hence Miltiades
Miltiades

Several historic persons have been called Miltiades .* Miltiades the Elder wealthy Athenian, and step-uncle of Miltiades the Younger* Miltiades the Younger , tyrant of the Thracian Chersonese; took part in the Battle of Marathon...
, i.e. the Red-Haired) would travel through the city on the days the Ecclesia was to meet, and would lash those citizens not in attendance with their ropes. With garments thus stained, shamed citizens could legally carry out no business until they visited the meeting grounds of the Ecclesia on the hill called the Pnyx
Pnyx

The Pnyx is a hill in central Athens, the capital of Greece. It is located less than one kilometre west of the Acropolis, Athens and 1.6km south-west of the centre of modern Athens, Syntagma Square....
.

See also

  • Apella
    Apella

    Apella was the official title of the popular Deliberative assembly in the Ancient Greece city-state of Sparta, corresponding to the ecclesia in most other Greek states....
  • Athenian Democracy
    Athenian democracy

    Athenian democracy developed in the Ancient Greece city-state of Classical Athens, comprising the central city-state of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica, around 500 BC....
  • Heliaia
    Heliaia

    Heliaia or Heliaea was the supreme court of ancient Athens. ?he generally held scientific view is that the court drew its name from the ancient Greek verb , which means , namely congregate....
  • Areopagus
    Areopagus

    The Areopagus or Areios Pagos is the 'Hill of Ares', north-west of the Acropolis, Athens, which in classical times functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens....
  • Constitution of the Athenians
    Constitution of the Athenians

    The Constitution of the Athenians is the name of either of two texts from Classical antiquity, one probably by Aristotle or a student of his, the other attributed to Xenophon, but not by him....