Pnyx Hill description and photos - Greece: Athens (Topic)

Pnyx Hill description and photos - Greece: Athens. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Pnyx.

Photo and description

Pnyx is a low and small rocky hill surrounded by a park. It is located in the center of Athens, just a kilometer from the western slope of the Acropolis and one and a half kilometers from Syntagma Square.

Back in 507 BC. the inhabitants of Athens gathered here to hold popular meetings, so this hill can be considered the earliest & nbsp; and the most important place for the creation of democracy. Such an assembly was called ecclesia (the highest body of state power, a popular assembly in ancient Greece). Usually the number of participants was 5-6 thousand, but when making the most important decisions, 10-15 thousand people gathered.

Already in ancient Greece, popular assemblies were guided by three basic democratic principles. The first principle of "isigoria" gave equal rights to citizens and the opportunity to express their opinion on political issues. The chairman began each meeting with the phrase "Who wants to speak?" The second principle "isonomia" & nbsp; is equality before the law. The third principle of "isopolitia" meant equality in voting and the ability to be elected to any member of the assembly.

Despite the fact that in theory all citizens were equal and had the right to speak, in practice only a small number of citizens spoke and proposed concrete actions. The reason for this was that a citizen who proposed any action could be prosecuted in the future if his proposal was considered illegal or one that could harm the city. There was a rule according to which citizens over 50 had the right to be heard in the first place.

Behm's oratory has survived to this day. Behind her in ancient times stood Pericles, Aristides, Alcibiades, Themistocles, Demosthenes & nbsp; and other famous personalities.

The first excavations on the hill were started in 1910 by the Greek Archaeological Society and finally confirmed that this is Pnyx Hill. Larger excavations were carried out in 1930 and 1937. The altar of Zeus (just behind Bema) and the Sanctuary of Zeus were found. Rather, only their foundations were discovered, the structures themselves have not survived.

On one of the slopes of the Pnyx there was a prison. It is famous for the fact that one of the most famous ancient Greek philosophers Socrates was imprisoned here.

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Topic: Pnyx Hill description and photos - Greece: Athens.