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Athenian democracy was at its height during the age of Pericles, during the mid-fifth century BCE. Democracy was an Athenian invention, but took a while to appear. Significant figures in the development of democracy were Solon - 594 BC, the Peisistratids; 545-510 BC, Cleisthenes - 565-500 BC, Ephialtes- 482 BC and Pericles - 461-457 BC. Each development in steps introduced new laws into Athenian society. Athenian society began with the aristocratic oligarchy (government) in the seventh century BCE. The height of the democracy occurred under Pericles which introduced payment for jurors in 461 BC, in 458 BC it introduced payment of archons and in 457 BC addmitted zeugitae (hoplite class ti archonship) Pericles - the true height of the Athenian democracy. In the 5th century BC, the Ecclesia was the basic institution of democracy in Athens in which it passed the laws and had ultimate power in affairs of state. The Ecclesia was made up of all citizens over 18. Theoratically, this meant that between up to 50,000 citizens could attend.

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16y ago

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