Archaeology as Knowledge of Alternative Solutions: Athenian Democracy and its Neighbours

Abstract

From the early modern age, democracy has been regarded as one of the key social values, (meant to) secure equal representation of all the members of a community in political decision-making. The roots of this mode of social organization are explicitly linked to the ancient role-model, embodied in the Athenian constitution of the 5th century. The initial knowledge upon which the modern notions of ancient democracy are founded is derived almost exclusively from the preserved written sources. On the other hand, the considerations of the wider context in which the Athenian democracy emerged have often neglected the insights into the social ordering of the communities who simultaneously inhabited the European hinterland, encompassed by the term Iron Age. Archaeological knowledge of these communities, generated over the last couple of decades, indicates a variety of situations transcending the traditional interpretation based upon the concept of chiefdom. Situating the Athenian democracy in the context of various other social solutions, simultaneously realized in its hinterland, may elucidate the ways of its functioning, as well as the whole range of possible alternatives. Finally, such comparative approach may lead to a more detailed understanding of similarities and differences between the ancient model of democracy and the modern modes of organization denoted by the same term.