The Original People Power: Ten Bizarre Stories from Ancient Athenian Democracy

On September 15th, the United Nations observes the International Day of Democracy. According to the UN, ‘democracy is as much a process as a goal, and only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.’

Indeed the roots of democracy are often traced back to the Greek city of Athens from around the sixth century BC. It was in Athens that many of the fundamental principles of democracy we know today, such as citizen participation, voting, and political equality (at least among male citizens at the time), were first institutionalised in a structured political system.

However, early Athenian democracy was limited by modern standards. Only a proportion of the male population could participate, while women, slaves, and foreigners were excluded. And like almost all political systems, governments and, believe it or not, politicians, over the last seven or eight thousand years, there were some very, very bizarre happenings in Athens.

Read on for ten of the most bizarre stories from ancient Athenian democracy.

The Athenian Assembly was the principal democratic institution of ancient Athens, responsible for making major decisions on laws, foreign policy, and other important matters. It was, for all intents and purposes, the very cradle of democracy. Yet while the serious business of developing the democratic principles that we abide by today was being done, no-one wanted to do it with a whiff of garlic in the air.

While there’s no actual evidence, rumours and anecdotes persisted suggesting there was a public decree in the fifth century BC banning citizens from having garlic breath while attending the Assembly, presumably due to the fact there were so many people crammed into a small space and mints hadn’t been invented.

This is a particularly peculiar episode concerning the sacred olive trees of Athens, which were believed to have been gifted by the goddess Athena herself. The trees, particularly those on public land, were viewed as sacred, and their preservation was strictly enforced by Athenian law.

In one bizarre legal case, a man was accused of illegally cutting down or damaging the stump of one of these trees. This was considered not just an act of vandalism, but also sacrilegious and punishable by severe penalties, including exile or even death. The man was put on trial, however his punishment has been lost to history, though it’s likely his fate wasn’t pleasant.

The Piggyback Laws, as described by the playwright Aristophanes, were peculiar and satirical. His works, known for blending comedy with sharp political commentary and innuendo, are said to offer a more accurate depiction of Athenian society than any of his contemporaries.

These laws were humorously said to have allowed fathers to demand that their sons carry them to public events if they failed to support them in old age. In Aristophenes’ play The Wasps, Bdelycleon carried his father Philocleon all over the city.

While the evidence of this law is purely anecdotal, it may have a basis in truth, perhaps as an exaggerated or fictionalised version of actual expectations or customs regarding the respect and care for elderly parents in ancient Athens.

In a practice that continues to this day with internet trolls and people attempting to mask their real identities, there was an absurd practice whereby Athenian citizens would sometimes register or participate in the Assembly and other civic duties under fake or exaggerated names.

The names would be used for fun, as a commentary on Athenian society, or as a way to mock the democratic process or particular political figures. Some of the most well-known pseudonyms include:

Lysistrata
Roughly translated to ‘Disbander of Armies’ or ‘Army Dissolver’, this is a humorous reflection on the character’s mission to stop the Peloponnesian War.

Philokratides
Meaning Lover of Power, this name may have reflected his own political aspirations, an exaggerated sense of self-importance, or it may even have served as sarcastic commentary on the nature of the political system.

Allantopoles
Literally ‘sausage-seller’, this is a satirical view of how even the most unqualified person could rise to prominence and political power in Athenian democracy.

Direct historical records of this specific case of the grapevine trial are sparse, but it was said that a vineyard was put on trial because a slave had committed suicide there. The vineyard was accused of harbouring negative spirits, and, rather absurdly, put on trial. This practice comes from the concept that anything responsible for causing harm, even if it wasn’t a human being, could face legal consequences. Another famous example of this practice was the trial of a bronze statue, which had fallen and killed a man. The statue was put on trial and found guilty, resulting in its removal from the city.

The word ostracism, the act of voting to ban citizens from Athens for a period of ten years – due to criminal activity or preemptively for perceived tyrants threatening Athenian democracy – comes from the small pieces of pottery used as voting tokens called ostrakon.

One of the most unusual cases of ostracism in ancient Athens involved Aristides, probably between 485 BC and 482 BC. He was revered in Athenian society, and was even called ‘the best and most honourable man in Athens’ by historian Herodotus. He garnered similar reverence from Plato. Aristides was a virtuous statesman and general, renowned for his fairness and integrity, earning him the nickname Aristides the Just.

As the story goes, an Athenian who was unable to write himself approached Aristides (not knowing who he was) and asked him to write Aristides’ name on his ostrakon for him. Surprised, Aristides asked the man why he wanted to ostracise Aristides, to which the man reportedly replied: “I’m tired of hearing him called ‘the Just.’” Aristides, without protest, wrote his own name on the ostrakon, showcasing his sense of duty and humility, even in the face of personal misfortune. He was ostracised, but recalled after ‘just’ a few years where he played a crucial role in organising the defence of Athens and in ensuring victory against the Persians at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC.

In early Athenian society, even the smallest aspects of civic life became subjects of passionate debate. None more so than in the curious case that became known as The Impeachment of the Alphabet.

As Greek written culture was developing, there arose a number of regional variations of the alphabet. For example, there were competing versions of the letter eta (H) and sigma (Σ) depending on the region. A movement arose to standardise the alphabet across Athens to bring it more in line with what was becoming the Ionic alphabet, the version used in other prominent Greek city-states, particularly in Ionia (in modern-day Turkey).

Ultimately, the proposal to adopt the Ionic alphabet won, and by the late 5th century BC, Athens began using the standardised version. This reform was significant for improving communication and record-keeping, but the intense debate around it was remembered as a particularly frivolous example of how democratic processes could become bogged down in minute details.

Themistocles, a key figure in Athens’ victory over Persia at the Battle of Salamis, became politically powerful but also made enemies among rival leaders. After being ostracised in 471 BC, he was later accused of treason for allegedly conspiring with Spartan general Pausanias to ally with Persia.

One of the strangest elements of this case involved an anecdote related to Themistocles’ alleged involvement in the plot. It was claimed that Themistocles communicated with Pausanias using coded messages hidden in wax-covered tablets. According to the story, when these messages needed to be erased to avoid detection, Themistocles supposedly used a sponge to wipe the wax clean and destroy the evidence of the conspiracy. The notion that such a highly influential figure – at one point Athens’ most prominent politician – used a simple household item like a sponge to carry out an elaborate international conspiracy added an absurd layer to the gravity of the accusations.

In ancient Athens, attendance at the Assembly was important for decision-making, but many citizens were reluctant to attend the long meetings. To ensure participation, public slaves were employed to patrol the marketplace. They used ropes dipped in red dye to round up citizens avoiding the Assembly. Citizens who were marked with this red dye faced fines for non-attendance. This system led to comical scenes of Athenians scrambling to avoid being caught.