CLAS 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Olive Oil, Meritocracy, Dionysia

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: CLAS 1000
• Professor: John Walsh

Document Summary

Athena god of wisdom was the patron. Attica land of the polis of athens small settlements that bounded together to form a mega polis. Failed coup of cylon (c. 632) strange kind of polis, people could vote but powerful aristocrats in the various polis" of athens decided, people became frustrated. Democracy that wasn"t responding and representing the people"s needs. Was murdered try to set up a new government, to give the people more rights, was a failure. Tyranny comes to power under unusual means large group of people in the polis are unhappy. 9 archons like prime minister executed the laws, in charge of different sections of the government. Council (boule) of the areopagus council of old men advised the rulers and the citizens (when they came once a week) Solon: reworks constitution (594) strife between aristocrats (everyone should listen to them, they should be the officials)and commoners (couldn"t get into the aristocracy because they didn"t have the right name)