Co-herencia, Vol. 18, No. 35 (2021) · 2021
Polis and Dêmos. A reflection on ancient Greek democracy
There are numerous cultural creations that the Greeks of Antiquity, and more specifically the Athenians, gave to themselves. One of them, related to the institution of social life, was democracy, understood in etymological terms as “power of the people.” In another sense, democracy can be described as a type of political system, or as a way of organizing the public powers of a city. Such an idea is derived from the brief Aristotelian treatise, discovered in Egypt more than a century ago, known as the Constitution of the Athenians. Relying on this treatise and establishing some relationships with other ancient and modern sources, the purpose of this writing is to advance a reflection on ancient Attic democracy, in order to point out three foundations of this form of government: political autonomy, participation, and “control.”