Idiots Were Not Allowed To Vote In Ancient Athens

MessageToEagle.com – Did you know that idiots were not allowed to vote in ancient Athens? Yes, it sounds strange, but it’s true.

Any male citizen over 18 years could participate in the main democratic body of ancient Athens and vote. The right to vote was open to all expect one group, the idiots who were kept out of politics.

So, who was considered an idiot in ancient Athens?

Basically, an idiot was a man who unsuitable to hold a public office. He could be quite harmless, but he was uneducated and a slow thinker. This was why he could never vote.

What People Were Not Included In Athenian Democracy?

Democracy in Athens was open only to male citizens over the age of 18, a minority of the people living and working there.
The Agora was a large open place meeting place surrounded by buildings.

The word Agora means “gathering place” or “assembly”. In ancient Greece it was common practice that free citizens met to discuss ideas, philosophy and politics. It was here men came to vote and they did it often.

Men voted about 40 times every year about important matters such as new laws for example.

See also:

Ostracism: Political Practice In Ancient Athens

Agora: An Ancient Meeting Place Visited By Many Famous Philosophers

What Was Life Like For Children In Ancient Athens?

Participating in politics was a must for all men (except idiots of course) and the Athenians had no tolerance for men who deliberately avoided democracy related topics. It was everyone’s duty to participate in political life, and those who didn’t could expect fines.

Slaves, most of whom were foreign-born, had no rights in ancient Athens. Athenian law treated slaves generally as the property of the household’s lead male, with no distinction between male and female slaves.

Children under 18 were not allow to vote and participate in government activities. Athenian-born women whose parents were both citizens had citizen status, but they were forbidden from voting or participating in the democratic government.

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