The Athenian democracy of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. is the most famous and perhaps the most nearly perfect example of direct democracy. Covering the period 403-322 B.C., Mogens Herman Hansen focuses on the crucial last thirty years, which coincided with the political career of Demosthenes. Hansen distinguishes between the city's seven political institutions: the Assembly, the nomothetai, the People's Court, the boards of magistrates, the Council of Five Hundred, the Areopagos, and ho boulomenos. He discusses how Athenians conceived liberty both as the ability to participate in the decision-making process and as the right to live without oppression from the state or other citizens.

About the Author
Mogens Herman Hansen is Director of the Copenhagen Polis Centre and author of Sovereignty of the People's Count in Athens, Demography and Democracy, The Athenian Assembly in the Age of Demosthenes, and Polis and City-State: An Ancient Concept and Its Modern Equivalent.


Book Information
ISBN 9780806131436
Author Mogens Herman Hansen
Format Paperback
Page Count 464
Imprint University of Oklahoma Press
Publisher University of Oklahoma Press
Weight(grams) 588g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 24mm