The Date 508 BC

Today in class we went over and discussed the date 508 BC.  During that year, Cleisthenes gained power in Ancient Greece.  He made the first democracy ever in Greece.  A democracy is a form of government where the whole population of people or all the eligible members of the city-state have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.  This type of government is ruled by the people.  This was a new way in order to rule Greece and no one had seen anything like it before.  The people would hold meetings and they would all meet in an agora.  An agora is a gathering place usually in the middle of a city-state.  During the meetings, the people would us the socratic method to debate about different topics and laws about Greece.  Once the time came for a new ruler to be chosen, the people would all vote on who they believe should rule.  If you were able to vote but didn't, the Greeks called you and idiot and selfish.  Their meaning of an idiot is much different than the modern definition.  If you were called an idiot in Ancient Greece, it meant that you were able to vote but chose not to.  Our meaning is that you are not very smart and make dumb decisions.