Idiots Were Not Allowed To Vote In Ancient Athens

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Did you know that idiots were not allowed to vote in ancient Athens? Yes, it sounds strange, but it's true.

Athenian politician Pericles by Philipp Foltz. Credit: Public Domain

Any male citizen over 18 years could participate in the main democratic body of ancient Athens and vote. The right to vote was open to all except one group, the idiots who were kept out of politics.

So, who was considered an idiot in ancient Athens?

Basically, an idiot was a man who was unsuitable to hold a public office. He could be harmless, but he was uneducated and a slow thinker. This was why he could never vote.

What People Were Not Included In Athenian Democracy?

Democracy in Athens was open only to male citizens over 18, a minority of those living and working there.
The Agora was a large open place meeting place surrounded by buildings.

The word Agora means "gathering place" or "assembly". In ancient Greece, it was common practice that free citizens met to discuss ideas, philosophy, and politics. It was here men came to vote, and they did it often.

Men voted about 40 times yearly about important matters such as new laws.

Participating in politics was a must for all men (except idiots, of course), and the Athenians had no tolerance for men who deliberately avoided democracy-related topics. It was everyone's duty to participate in political life, and those who didn't could expect fines.

The Acropolis of Athens by Leo von Klenze (1846). Credit: Public Domain

Slaves, most of whom were foreign-born, had no rights in ancient Athens. Athenian law treated slaves generally as the property of the household's lead male, with no distinction between male and female slaves.

Children under 18 were not allowed to vote or participate in government activities. Women in ancient Athens had no political rights and were considered "minors." They were thus not allowed to vote or participate in the democratic government.

Updated on February 3, 2023

Written by - Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com

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