The roots of rule by the people
The great law of peace
Power to the villages
Modern experiments in autonomy
YOUR GOAL
Master of The art of ruling ourselves
007skaty This practice of sortition randomly assigned everyday citizens to public offices and juries, ensuring that ordinary people governed
007skaty Sunlight shines on the dramatic stone cliffs and grassy plains of historic Thingvellir.
007skaty Vote on community issues to learn how every small voice shapes big decisions.
Athenian lottery: Ancient Athens used a marble-dropping machine called a kleroterion to randomly select citizens for government roles, ensuring everyday people made the laws.
A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. Cleisthenes introduced democratic reforms to Athens in 508 BCE, establishing an early model of popular self-governance.
What did Athenian citizens scratch their votes onto when they wanted to exile a potentially dangerous leader?
What was the name of the stone machine used in ancient Athens to randomly select citizens for public office?
Which ancient Athenian reformer is widely credited with establishing the foundational system of direct democracy in 508 BCE?
In what year was the Althing, the world's oldest surviving parliament, founded by Norse settlers in Iceland?
Where did the members of Iceland's Althing gather annually to settle disputes and read new laws to the public?
What was the name of the public hill in ancient Athens where citizens gathered to debate and vote directly on laws?
What is the term for a democratic system, like ancient Athens, where citizens vote on laws themselves rather than electing representatives?