he founded a trial by jury, and gave farmers the opportunity to become landowners and gave the economy a boost. Athens first dictator Pisistratus, (6th cent. b.c.) created a dynasty and maintained for 50 years, he gave Athens a leading role in trading wine and olive oil. In 508 (b.c.) Clisthenes founder of the democratic constitution, election-districts (demes) a public general meeting and a senate. Members of the senate were assigned by lot. Also he introduced ostracism; a public enemy could be banned for a period of then years (without loosing his possessions) out of Athens. Ostracism, a number of people had to put his name on a potsherd (ostrakon). Greece entered a period of Persian wars, with a final battle at Salamis 480 (b.c.) were the Greek navy made a final blow to the Persians, the Greek independence was saved. The Golden century followed after this period, with Pericles as inspiration and leader, numerous literary, philosophic and scientific masterpieces were made by the school of Hellas, like Herodotus, Sophocles. Athens developed into a prosperous economy, The Spartans became rivals and so the Peloponnesian War in 431 (b.c.) started. After 27 years the Spartans, helped by the formal enemy the Persians, concurred by cutting of the main route of grain to Athens. On the other hand this era was a cultural and intellectual victory for Athens and so the city maintained the capital of Greek civilization. In the period that followed Macedonian troops occupied Athens twice, (322 and 262 (b.c.). Finally the empire of Alexander the Great and Philippus fell by several wars with the Roman legions. For five centuries long Pax Romana, Roman emperors ruled the city, luckily most of
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