4.6 • 18.6K Ratings
🗓️ 22 May 2023
⏱️ 58 minutes
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What did "demos" really mean to the Athenians? Why were women such a crucial part of Athenian democracy? And who was the Tom Wamsgams of Athens? Join Tom and Dominic as they explore whether Athenian democracy really was the precursor to modern day democracy, or whether it was something entirely different.
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0:00.0 | Thanks for listening to the Rest is History. For bonus episodes, early access, add free |
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0:30.0 | I'm working with Fitbit and their Versa 4 smartwatch to celebrate the small, everyday wins I accomplish whilst working towards a bigger goal. |
0:46.0 | And this month I'm focusing on getting a better night's sleep. So I thought I'd share my little wins from this morning with you. |
0:52.0 | And when I woke up I had a look at my Fitbit, specifically my sleep score and it was in the 80s. So it showed me I'd had a fabulous night's sleep, 8 hours in total, a good chunk of deep sleep in that and minimal disturbance. |
1:04.0 | So no wonder I woke up feeling so refreshed. And knowing I got a decent rest has given me that extra boost to take on the day full of energy. |
1:12.0 | You can find out more about Fitbit and the Versa 4 smartwatch at Fitbit.com. |
1:22.0 | So Athens came to flourish and to make manifest how important it is, not just on one level but on all, for everyone in a city to have an equal voice. |
1:42.0 | For the Athenians, while subjects of attirent had been no more proficient in battle than any of their neighbours. |
1:49.0 | But then, once liberated from tyranny, they emerged a supreme by far. |
1:55.0 | Proof enough that the downtrodden, since their neighbours are all in the service of a master, will never willingly pull their weight. |
2:04.0 | Whereas, free men, because they have a stake in their own exertions, will set to them with relish. |
2:12.0 | So that is the father of history, or the father of lies, depending on whom you believe, Herodotus, talking about how in 506 BC, the Athenians fought off an attempt by the Spartans and the Thebans, their rivals, to throttle a radical new system of government in its cradle. |
2:32.0 | And that radical new system of government, Tom, was democracy, something that we all now think is splendid. |
2:40.0 | But the Spartans thought it was an absolute waste of space. |
2:43.0 | And the Thebans too, I mean, basically everyone did. |
2:46.0 | And the association of Athens with democracy, I guess it's probably, I mean, it's probably, if you talk to people about ancient Athens, most people would think of it as the birthplace of democracy and they would see it as a kind of democratic system. |
3:01.0 | And Athens is basically the place where the notion of democracy is born. |
3:06.0 | But I think that it's a treacherous word, because the question is, to what extent does what we mean by democracy map onto what the Athenians meant by democracy? |
3:19.0 | And I think that there is a huge temptation on our part to assume that they're basically the same things. |
3:24.0 | And so we judge the Athenians by our standards and so the thing that people will always say about Athenian democracy is our women didn't have the vote. |
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