The Birth of the Athenian Community
elucidates the social and political development of Athens in the sixth century, when, as a result of reforms by Solon and Cleisthenes (at the beginning and end of the sixth century, respectively), Athens turned into the most advanced and famous city, or
polis
, of the entire ancient Greek civilization. Undermining the current dominant approach, which seeks to explain ancient Athens in modern terms, dividing all Athenians into citizens and non-citizens, this book rationalizes the development of Athens, and other Greek
poleis
, as a gradually rising complexity, rather than a linear progression. The multidimensional social fabric of Athens was comprised of three major groups: the kinship community of the
astoi
, whose privileged status was due to their origins; the legal community of the
politai
, who enjoyed legal and social equality in the
; and the political community of the
demotai
, or adult males with political rights. These communities only partially overlapped. Their evolving relationship determined the course of Athenian history, including Cleisthenes’ establishment of
demokratia
, which was originally, and for a long time, a kinship democracy, since it only belonged to qualified male
.