Democracy in Ancient Greece

About the year 1000 BC, in the area of today's Greece, after long and hard fights the first city-states (polis) started to arise. As a result Greece was divided into: Doric part (Sparta), Achaian part (Arcadia) and Ionic part (Attica). From these three cultures the Spartan culture had the lowest status, although when we look at its military potential, it was the other way round.

Achaians and Ionians owed their independence to exceptionally inaccessible, mountainous terrain only because in battle they were always beaten by primitive Spartans. Fortunately a group of Ionians survived and thank to that, some time later, the world got the opportunity to be proud of special system of government called democracy.

Cradle of democracy is Athens, ancient Greek city-state, situated in beautiful part of Peloponnese, in Attica. Athens owe the first penal and civil law code to Draco. That was him who differentiated premeditated murder from accidental manslaughter.

As a curiosity we can add that the state of those times had no right of prosecution or mercy but the sentences passed caused that law was perceived as very strict.

An outstanding statesman and poet called Solon acted in Athens at the same time as Draco.

In 594 BC he was elected the first archon – the highest state official who today could be compared to a prime minister. The difference between a prime minister and an archon lies in the fact that the latter was elected annually and had executive and judicial power, was in command of the army and performed priestly functions.The main Solon's credit was that he prepared basis for political changes in Athens. He divided citizens into four groups based on agricultural output, established the so-called Council of 400, the jury court, standardized the system of measures and weights and considerably increased rights of ekklesia – assembly of all citizens of Athens over 20.