athens turned to a democratic form of government in 508 bc because of the reforms of cleisthenes.
why in 508 bc did athens turn to a democratic form of government?
the reforms of cleisthenes
in ancient greece, a deme or demos () modern "municipality" was a suburb or a subdivision of athens and other city-states. demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th century bc and earlier, but did not acquire particular significance until the reforms of cleisthenes in 508 bc. in those reforms, enrollment in the citizen-lists of a deme became the requirement for citizenship; prior to that time, citizenship had been based on membership in a phratry, or family group. at this same time, demes were established in the main city of athens itself, where they had not previously existed; in all, at the end of cleisthenes' reforms, athens was divided into 139 demes to which one should add berenikidai, established in 224/223 bc, apollonieis (201/200 bc) and antinoeis (126/127). the establishment of demes as the fundamental units of the state weakened the gene, or aristocratic family groups, that had dominated the phratries.
deme
508 bc









































the year 508 bc was a year of the pre-julian roman calendar. in the roman empire it was known as the year of the consulship of poplicola and tricipitinus (or, less frequently, year 246 " ab urbe condita"). the denomination 508 bc for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the anno domini calendar era became the prevalent method in europe for naming years.









































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bullet::::- athenian democracy in the city of athens is established under cleisthenes following the tyranny of hippias.









































section::::events.:by place.:italy.
508 bc