[Agora Webpage] Birth of Democracy: State Religion

http://agathe.gr/democracy/state_religion.html

State Religion: The Archon Basileus There was no attempt in Classical Athens to separate church and state. Altars and shrines were intermingled with the public areas and buildings of the city. A single ... State Religion: The Archon Basileus There was no attempt in Classical Athens to separate church and state. ... A single magistrate, the archon Basileus or king archon, was responsible for both religious matters and the laws; appointed by lot, he served for a year. ... In addition to housing the king archon, the stoa served also to display the laws of Athens.

[Agora Webpage] AgoraPicBk 16 2003: Royal Stoa

http://agathe.gr/guide/royal_stoa.html

Royal Stoa On the west side, lying just south of the Panathenaic Way, are the remains of the Royal Stoa (Stoa Basileios), one of the earliest and most important of the public buildings of Athens (Figs ... It served as the headquarters of the archon basileus (king archon), second in command of the Athenian government and the official responsible for religious matters and the laws.

[Agora Webpage] AgoraPicBk 4 2004: Judiciary and Lawcourts

http://agathe.gr/democracy/judiciary_and_lawcourts.html

Judiciary and Lawcourts The lawcourts of Athens, a city notorious throughout Greece for the litigiousness of her citizens, were both numerous and large. Several of these lawcourts were in the immediate ... Restored drawing of allotment machines. The archon in charge, having learned how many courts were to be filled and wishing to fill his tribe’s quota of the total number of jurors, put into the funnels at the top of the kleroteria as many balls (white for the number to be allotted and the remainder black for those to be dismissed) as there were tickets in the shortest column. ... The tickets of the allotted jurors were given to the archon in charge, who, having identified each man, allowed him to draw from a box a bronze ball inscribed with a letter indicating the court to which he was assigned. The archon then placed his ticket in the box destined to go to that court, so that the juror could receive his pay and reclaim his ticket only in the court to which he had been allotted.

[Agora Webpage] Birth of Democracy: Theater

http://agathe.gr/democracy/theater.html

Theater Western drama was an Athenian invention which developed late in the 6th century B.C. out of the festivals celebrated in honor of the god Dionysos. Originally held in the Agora, the plays were soon ... (lines 40-43) An inscribed base set up by the King Archon Onesippos on the steps of the Royal Stoa (19.2) records the results of the dramatic festivals he administered in his year in office. ... Photograph of a statue base set up to commemorate Onesippos' term as king archon, about 400 B.C.

[Agora Webpage] Birth of Democracy: Democracy

http://agathe.gr/democracy/democracy.html

Introduction Classical Athens saw the rise of an achievement unparalleled in history. Perikles, Aischylos, Sophokles, Plato, Demosthenes, and Praxiteles represent just a few of the statesmen and philosophers, ... Also built at about the same time was the Royal Stoa which housed the offices of the king archon, the official in charge of religious matters and the laws.

[Agora Webpage] Birth of Democracy: Tyranny

http://agathe.gr/democracy/tyranny.html

Tyranny As happened in many other Greek states, a tyrant arose in Athens in the 6th century B.C. His name was Peisistratos, and after several unsuccessful attempts he seized power in 546 B.C. and ruled ... Literary sources tell us that the younger Peisistratos, grandson of the founder of the tyranny, dedicated the Altar of the Twelve Gods when he was archon in 522/1 B.C. ... Literary sources tell us that the Altar of Apollo Pythios, like the Altar of the Twelve Gods, was built when Peisistratos the Younger was archon, in 522/1 B.C.

[Agora Webpage] Birth of Democracy: Political Organization of Attica

http://agathe.gr/democracy/political_organization_of_attica.html

Political Organization of Attica: Demes and Tribal Representation Each tribe was divided into three parts, and each third (trittys) was from one of the three regions of Attica, plain, coast, or hills ... The five members and two secretaries of the metronomi are listed by name, patronymic (father's name), and deme and indicate that the seven came from seven different tribes: The metronomoi when Archelaos was Archon: Demostratos from Hestiaia Aristokrates from Angele Apollodoros son of Apollonios from Lamptrai Theodotos from Ekale Eratymenes from Oinoe and the allotted secretary: Nikias son of Philo from Kydathenaion and the elected secretary: Herakleitos son Timotheos from Krio gave over the following weights and measures ...

[Agora Webpage] Birth of Democracy: Solon the Lawgiver

http://agathe.gr/democracy/solon_the_lawgiver.html

Solon the Lawgiver By the early 6th century B.C. social tensions in Athens had become acute, pitting the poorer citizens against rich and powerful landowners. Many citizens were reduced to the status of ... To resolve the crisis the Athenians appointed Solon as archon (magistrate) to serve as mediator and lawgiver.