deme

Pinakia, identification tablets (name, father's name, deme) used for tasks like jury selection, Museum at the Ancient Agora of Athens

In Ancient Greece, a deme (δῆμος) was a subdivision of Attica, the region of Greece surrounding Athens. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th century BC and earlier, but did not acquire particular significance until the reforms of Cleisthenes in 508 BC. In those reforms, enrollment in the citizen-lists of a deme became the requirement for citizenship; prior to that time, citizenship had been based on membership in a phratry, or family group. At this same time, demes were established in the city of Athens itself, where they had not previously existed; in all, at the end of Cleisthenes' reforms, Attica was divided into 139 demes. The establishment of demes as the fundamental units of the state weakened the gene, or aristocratic family groups, that had dominated the phratries.^[1]

A deme functioned to some degree as a polis in miniature, and indeed some demes, such as Eleusis and Acharnae, were in fact significant towns. Each deme had a demarchos who supervised its affairs; various other civil, religious, and military functionaries existed in various demes. Demes held their own religious festivals and collected and spent revenue.^[2]

Demes were combined with other demes from the same area to make trittyes, larger population groups, which in turn were combined to form the ten tribes, or phyles of Athens. Each tribe contained one trittys from each of three regions, the city, the coast, and the inland area.

List of Athenian demes according to tribes/phylai (φυλαί)

Erechtheïs (Ερεχθηίς)

Upper Agryle

Lower Agryle

Anagyrous

Euonymon

Themakos

Kedoi

Kephisia

Upper Lamptrai

Lower Lamptrai

Pambotadai

Upper Pergase

Lower Pergase

Phegous

Sybridai

Aegeïs (Αιγηίς)

Upper Ankyle

Lower Ankyle

Araphen

Halai Araphenides

Bate

Gargettos

Diomeia

Hestiaia

Erikeia

Erchia

Ikarion

Ionidai

Kollytos

Kolonos

Kydantidai

Myrrhinoutta

Otryne

Plotheia

Teithras

Phegaia

Philaidai

Pandionis (Πανδιονίς)

Angele

Konthyle

Kydathenaion

Kytheros

Myrrhinous

Oa

Prasiai

Probalinthos

Upper Paiania

Lower Paiania

Steiria

Leontis (Λεοντίς)

Aithalidai

Halimous

Deiradiotai

Hecale

Eupyridai

Kettos

Kolonai

Kropidai

Leukonion

Oion Kerameikon

Paionidai

Pelekes

Upper Potamos

Lower Potamos

Potamioi-Deiradiotai

Skambonidai

Sounion

Hybadai

Phrearrhioi

Cholleidai

Akamantis (Ακαμαντίς)

Hagnous

Eiresidai

Eitea

Hermos

Iphistiadai

Thorikos

Kerameis

Kephale

Kikynna

Kyrteidai

Poros

Prospalta

Sphettos

Cholargos

Oeneïs (Οινηίς)

Acharnae

Boutadai

Epikephisia

Thria

Hippotomadai

Kothokidai

Lakiadai

Lousia

Oe

Perithoidai

Ptelea

Tyrmeidai

Phyle

Kekropis (Κεκροπίς)

Athmonon

Aixone

Halai Aixonides

Daidalidai

Epieikidai

Melite

Xypete

Pithos

Sypalettos

Trinemeia

Phlya

Hippothontis (Ιπποθοντίς)

Azenia

Hamaxanteia

Anakaia

Auridai

Acherdous

Dekeleia

Elaious

Eleusis

Eroiadai

Thymaitadai

Keiriadai

Koile

Kopros

Korydallos

Oinoe (of the west)

Oion Dekeleikon

Peiraieus

Aiantis (Αιαντίς)

Aphidna

Marathon

Oinoe (of the east)

Rhamnous

Trikorynthos

Phaleron

Antiochis (Αντιοχίς)

Aigilia

Alopeke

Amphitrope

Anaphlystos

Atene

Besa

Eitea

Eroidai

Ergadeis

Thorai

Kolonai

Krioa

Leukopyra

Pallene

Semachidai

Phyrrhinesioi

Later usage

The term deme (dēmos) survived into the Hellenistic and Roman eras. By the time of the Byzantine Empire, the term was used to refer to one of the four chariot racing factions, the Reds, the Blues, the Greens and the Whites.

In modern Greece, the term dēmos is used to denote the municipalities.

References

• Fine, John V.A. The Ancient Greeks: A critical history (Harvard University Press, 1983). ISBN 0-674-03314-0.
• Hornblower, Simon, and Anthony Spawforth ed., The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 2003). ISBN 0-19-866172-X.
• Suzanne, Bernard (1998). plato-dialogues.org, "Attic Tribes and Demes". Accessed August 1, 2006.
• Whitehead, David. The Demes of Attica 508/7–ca. 250 BC: A Political and Social Study (Princeton University Press, 1986).

Footnotes