The Greeks traded items such as … They traded with other city-states, and some foreign lands. Athens took its name from the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. It was known as a beautiful public buildings, public bath, shops, and busy city. Each state had their own money, government and laws in ancient Greek. It is a center for economic, political, financial and culture life in Greece. To ancient Athenians, "tyrant" did not have the same negative connotations that it does today. In 508 B.C., Athens became one of the first societies in ancient times to establish democracy. Every citizen was a part of the government, no matter what their social standing. The most important cities in ancient Greek were Sparta and Athens… Even though the states in ancient Greek had different law and money, they had the similar religions and languages. And as true today, most events would have fallen apart without their organization by women. Athens was the first city-state to have a true and efficient form of democracy. Under this system, all male citizens had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in the political arena. The ancient city of Athens, Greece, had a democratic government. Athens is the capital and the largest city of Greece. Athens is the symbol of freedom, art, and democracy in the conscience of the civilized world. Government and Politics of Ancient Athens. Facts about Ancient Athens 1: the states. But it was a long path to get there. Athens in the 5th to 4th century BCE had an extraordinary system of government: democracy. Most people today think of democracy as an inherently good thing. These women had high status, relative freedom, and remained unmarried. Government - Government - Greece: The Phoenician example was followed by the Greeks, originally Indo-European nomads who gradually made their way south to the Aegean and there took to the sea. However, democracy was only one type of government found in ancient Greece. Because of this, a series of tyrants came to power, either taking it by force or by the will of the people. Acropolis is a rocky hill and most of them lived below the rocky hill or Acropolis. If you're one of those people, it's remove that silly notion from your brain. Its democracy was "the rule of the mob," and historians consider the Athenians as the developers of democracy. Athens is also the capital city and a centre of politics and tourism. 2. Why the Social Life of Athens Is So Significant . The Greeks were politically a well-advanced society. Ancient Greece had several city-states and each city-state had its own Ancient Greek Political System of government. Athens was near the sea which was good because it meant they had a good harbor, and that they could trade easily. Political thinkers and philosophers flourished. Because, then, the contributions of Athens to our own life are so important, because they touch (as a Greek would say) upon almost every side of "the true, the beautiful, and the good," it is obvious that the outward conditions under which this Athenian genius developed deserve our respectful attention. Athens was fragmented by many different factors: rioting, unrest, and general public disapproval of the government. Priestesses were necessary to conduct and organize the over 100 annual religious events that occurred yearly in Athens. It was very direct; everyone had a vote, majority ruled, end of story. Facts about Ancient Athens 1: Government Ancient Greek Government Facts Ancient Greece was the birthplace of democracy, therefore when we think about ancient Greek government what comes to mind is a democratic society. The one exception to the classes of women were the priestesses. And this democracy didn't exactly function like any nation you think of today. 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