Democracy and the Athenians: the institutions of the democracy, including the Assembly (ekklesia), the Council of 500 (boule), the law courts (dikasteria), the magistracies, and the mechanisms of sortition (the lottery) and ostracism.

What this dot point is asking

Athenian democracy worked through a set of interlocking institutions. For this option you must understand the Assembly (ekklesia), the Council of 500 (boule), the law courts (dikasteria), the magistracies, and the mechanisms of sortition (the lottery) and ostracism, and how they fitted together. The paper tests precise knowledge (AO1), analysis and evaluation of sources (AO2 and AO3) and your own argument.

The answer

The Assembly (ekklesia): the sovereign people

The Council of 500 (boule): preparing the business

A mass Assembly could not manage everything, so the Council of 500 (boule) did the preparatory work:

• It was chosen by lot for one year, fifty councillors from each of the ten tribes, so a large cross-section of citizens served.
• It prepared the agenda (the probouleuma) for the Assembly, so the people voted only on considered business.
• It managed day-to-day administration and finances, with a rotating committee of prytaneis (one tribe's delegation at a time) in charge and able to convene the Assembly.

The Council made mass democracy workable by handling affairs between Assembly meetings.

The law courts (dikasteria) and the magistracies

Sortition and ostracism

Two mechanisms were especially characteristic of the democracy:

• Sortition (selection by lot) for the Council, the courts and most offices embodied the principle that all citizens were equally capable of governing, and prevented the wealthy from dominating, expressing isonomia.
• Ostracism allowed the Assembly, once a year, to vote (by writing a name on a potsherd, an ostrakon) to exile a citizen for ten years without loss of property, a safeguard against any individual growing too powerful and threatening the democracy.

Together these institutions gave Athenian citizens an unusually direct and equal share in ruling and being ruled in turn.

Examples in context

A strong 10-mark idea answer on the boule would explain its composition (lot, ten tribes) and its role (agenda-setting, administration, the prytaneis) and how it made democracy workable.

Try this

Q1. Explain how the Athenian law courts (dikasteria) worked. You must refer to specific examples. [10 marks]

• What the marker wants. AO1 with AO3: describe the large citizen juries chosen by lot and paid, deciding by majority vote without judges or lawyers, and explain how this gave the people power over justice and officials.

Q2. 'Athenian democracy could not have worked without the Council of 500.' To what extent do you agree? [marked out of 20; real H408/34 tariff is 30]

• Cue. Argue both sides: the Council made the sovereign Assembly workable by preparing business and running administration, but the Assembly held the real power. Reach a judgement supported by named institutions.