Analyze Athenian direct democracy (Cleisthenes' reforms 508 BCE through the Periclean period and the end of the Classical Athenian democracy in 322 BCE) — its institutions (Assembly / Council of 500 / popular courts / ostracism) AND its citizenship-exclusion ratio (~10-13% per Mogens Herman Hansen 1991): only adult male citizens could vote; women, enslaved people (~25-30% of Attic population), metics (resident foreigners), and children were excluded
Exercise
Difficulty 4
~5 min
hist.g6.f.ex_28
Calculation
Prompt
Calculate Athenian citizenship-exclusion ratio: total Attic population c. 430 BCE ~300,000; adult male citizens (could vote) ~30,000-40,000. What percent could vote? Apply Math G6-Fall ratio skill.
How it's presented
mode
text
Answer criteria
type
calculation with explanation
rubric
Full credit: correct percentage range + math shown + 1-sentence implication for our understanding of Athenian democracy.
correct
~10-13% (30,000-40,000 / 300,000 = 10-13%)
Hints
- Divide adult male citizens by total population.
- Multiply by 100 for percentage.
Misconceptions to watch
- Forgetting that only ~10-13% could vote
- Treating Athenian democracy as fully inclusive
Used in lessons