THE LEXICON OF THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE POLIS ATHENS –ATTRIBUTIONS AND COMPONENTS
THE LEXICON OF THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE POLIS ATHENS –ATTRIBUTIONS AND COMPONENTS

Summary/Abstract: The inventors of the democratic regime, the Athenians had for the exercise of this regime laws, officials, but especially, institutions to manifest this democratic regime. The emergence of these institutions was due to the successive reforms that established the Athenian democratic regime, and their improvement led to the success of the Athenian democratic regime, which faced great challenges by resisting and proving its effectiveness (to the Persians in particular). The attributions of these legislative, religious, cultural and executive institutions covered all the needs of the city (polis), and in their composition they were only male citizens of the upper class, the Eupatridae who in order to take part in the political life of the city (polis) had to go through an educational process by ephebia (the military service). No one was unprepared for Athenian public office, on the contrary, the best and most skilled officials were selected. The League of Delos, the coalition controlled by Athens to ensure the hegemony of the archipelago was successful precisely because of the training and faithfulness of Athenian officials of whom the best and most famous was the strategist Pericles. The diversity and efficiency of these Athenian political institutions was remarkable, being a model for European institutions today and beyond, explaining how Athens became a thalassocracy and was able to withstand the Persian pressure in the Persian wars.

• Details
• Contents