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Sparta Flash Card #7: ekklesia
Historian /
Source
N S Gill
About.com
Evidence
Definition: The Spartan Assembly or Ecclesia was restricted to Spartiate
men over 18 who met when summoned by the Ephors or Gerousia.
Speeches were made by kings, the elders, and ephors. They could only
vote yes or no and if "crooked," their vote could be vetoed by the
Gerousia.
Also Known As: Apella
Alternate Spellings: Ekklesia
Apella - ekklesia
Jeffrey Lamb
Blacktown Girls
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Yahambaran,
Parthiban
Archaeologist
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also known as the ekklesia
"The Assembly" was open to all male citizens (over 30)
Met monthly (at the full moon); elected officials and determined foreign
policy
Did not debate, but listened to the kings and ephoroi
Ephoroi chaired the meeting of the apella
Elected the gerousia and ephoroi by public acclamation
Decisions of the apella could be overridden by the gerousia
Women, the perioikoi, and helots were not represented.
Lesson 4: Athenian Democracy
The Ekklesia
The ‘ekklesia’ was the central organ of the Athenian democracy.
The word ‘ekklesia’ refers to a body that is ‘called out’ in Classical
Greek.
All citizens of the city of Athens were eligible for membership in the
‘ekklesia’. The ‘ekklesia’ usually met on a low hill called the Pnyx
located in the southwest of the city.
It was at meetings of the ‘ekklesia’ that important matters were debated.
Decisions were made by voting, and the ‘ekklesia’ actually had the power
to make practically any kind of decision that it wanted to.
In the “Apology of Socrates”, Plato refers to an incident in which the
‘ekklesia’ decided to make a group of naval commanders who had failed
to rescue a group of drowning sailors stand trial in one group. By right,
each of the commanders should have been tried individually.
Although such a trial was not legal in the strictest sense, the ‘ekklesia’
pushed ahead with it, had the naval commanders condemned to death and
even had some of them executed (two of them had fled Athens before the
trial).
This incident serves to point up the fact that the ‘ekklesia’ was in a certain
sense all-powerful in the Athenian democratic system.
Relationship to
other Syllabus
dot points
What makes this story all the more remarkable is the fact that these
selfsame commanders had just won a major battle (the battle of
Arginoussae).
Although most of the important decisions regarding the city were made in
the ‘ekklesia’, it seems as though not everyone actually did attend (or was
even interested in attending) its meetings.
In practice, many of the rural inhabitants of Attica (the area surrounding
Athens) would not have been able to attend these meetings simply
because it would have been too much trouble for them to make the
journey to the city.
We must remember that many of these people were farmers. Time was
therefore precious to them, and many of them would have preferred to
spend their day working on their farms rather than attending the political
debates in the ‘ekklesia’.
In one of his plays, “The Acharnians”, the great comic playwright
Aristophanes refers to the use of a “red rope”. This supposedly refers to
the practice of sending out the Athenian equivalent of the police, the
Scythian archers (see Lesson 5), with a rope that had been soaked in red
dye to herd people who were hanging around in the market-place into the
Pnyx.
If such a measure was indeed used, then it does seem that many Athenians
would indeed have been reluctant to attend these meetings of the
‘ekklesia’
BOS Notes 1
Features & structure of government-“For more than 400
years…they have had the same system of government…a source of
internal strength,” Thucydides. Contained elements of monarchy,
oligarchy & democracy-described by ancient writers as a mixed
constitution. Headed by 2 hereditary kings from ancient clans,
advising them was the Gerousia-council of elders aged over 60yrs
and had 28 members + the 2 kings. “Best and most deserving men
past 60 years old” Plutarch. Were elected by Spartiates in the
assembly. They prepared proposals & acted as a court for criminal
cases. The Ephors (over 30yrs old) acted as moral guardians who
held office for 1yr- were a democratic element elected by the
Assembly. They gave access to foreign ambassadors, running of the
state, admin of the army, accompanied the king into battle, controlled
the Krypteia & responsible for education. The Assembly had no real
powers-not allowed to discuss or amend bills-represented only a
minority of the people they appointed generals, voted on proposals,
listened to debates & elected the ephors.
BOS Notes 2
Ecclesia
- appearance of democracy but no real power
- not allowed to discuss or amend bills
BOS Notes 3
final say on proposals
elected Gerousia and Ephors
all Spartan over 30 were members
duties 
ratified peace, war and foreign policy
voted on proposals
could not debate  listened to debate than voted
elected Ephors
could not amend proposals
declare war chose king for army
Ecclesia
- The Spartan Assembly
- Sometimes referred to as the Apella
- All male citizens over 30 years old would attend,
outside, normally once a month during the full moon
- The ecclesia ensured that men of conservative opinion
had the best chance of getting into the council, staying
there and replacing themselves with people of the
same outlook
-
The ecclesia would vote by shouting (acclamation)
Public policy decisions
Elect candidates to fill places in the gerousia
Elect ephors and other magistrates
Appoint generals and admirals
Grant or take away Spartan citizenship
Pass or reject laws proposed by the gerousia
Could not initiate changes to laws
Generally did not debate
Sources on the ecclesia
-
We know about the ecclesia through Thucydides who
tells us of a vote in the ecclesia regarding whether or
not Athens broke the treaty. This vote led to the war
with Athens