The Pnyx was an assembly place of ancient Athenian citizens, making public deliberation visible in the landscape. That citizen body was restricted: women, enslaved people and resident foreigners did not share the political rights of adult male citizens. We place it first for the historical influence of the assembly idea and the clarity with which its limits can be taught. Ancient direct democracy should not be treated as identical to modern universal-suffrage systems.
Source: The Pnyx, Athens.
Image credit: Tomisti · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and JPEG compressed.
