The direct democracy of Classical Athens, c. 508/7–322 BCE: an Assembly open to male citizens, a Council of 500 and many offices filled by lot, large lot-selected people's courts and ostracism. Women, slaves and resident foreigners had no political rights.
After the expulsion of the tyrant Hippias, reforms attributed to Cleisthenes (c. 508/7 BCE) reorganised Athenian citizens into ten tribes and a Council of 500, fifty per tribe. Citizens met in the Assembly (ekklesia) to decide laws, war and policy. The Council prepared the Assembly's business; most routine magistracies and the Council were filled by lot, while generals were elected. Citizen juries chosen by lot decided court cases, and pay for service widened participation. Citizenship was inherited: from 451/0 BCE both parents had to be Athenian, and women, slaves and metics (resident foreigners) were excluded. Defeat by Macedon ended the regime in 322 BCE.
Developed lasting institutions of citizen self-rule at city scale: an assembly open to all male citizens, selection of officials and jurors by lot, and paid public service. It remains the main historical reference for direct democracy and sortition.
After defeat in the Lamian War, the Macedonian regent Antipater required a property qualification of 2,000 drachmas for political rights and placed a garrison in Athens (322 BCE), ending the democracy. Modern assessments also stress how narrow the citizen body was.
Classical Athens combined an Assembly open to male citizens with a Council of 500 chosen by lot (fifty per tribe), most routine magistracies filled by lot, and courts staffed by lot-selected citizen jurors; Assembly, Council and jury service were paid.[1][2]
Citizenship was restricted by birth: Aristotle's account dates the rule of citizen birth on both sides to 451/0 BCE, and women, slaves and resident foreigners (metics) had no vote in the Assembly, Council or courts.[1][2]
Ostracism let the Assembly vote on whether to hold a ballot; if a sufficiently large number of citizens named the same person, he had to leave Attica for ten years but kept his property. Britannica dates its first use to 488–487 BCE.[1][2]
The democracy ended in 322 BCE when, after Athens' defeat in the Lamian War, Antipater required a property qualification of 2,000 drachmas for political rights and installed a Macedonian garrison.[1]