The People's Court/Dikasteria:

The Assembly/ Ekklesia of the People:

i. ekklesia kyria: 1 per prytanny [month]

1) ? regularly scheduled always had
2) specified types of business: e.g. eisangelia; pleas concerning heiresses and inheritances

ii. ordinary ekklesia: up to 3

1) meeting 2 re petitions
2) meetins 3 & 4 re religious affairs, foreign affairs, profane affairs

iii. ekklesia synkletos "summoned ekklesia"

1) Assembly meetings convened at short notice, above and beyond kyrios and ordinary

b. nature of meetings

i. business had to be concluded w/in one day
ii. couldn’t be held on festival or "taboo" days
iii. nothing could be discussed without a probouleuma ?preliminary decree" [unless it was an obligatory item ? e.g., certain items always discussed at ekklesia kyria]

1) concrete

a) Counsel gave specific, detailed recommendation
b) Assembly either accepted (with at most minor modifications) or rejected

2) Open

a) Counsel gave no recommendation

iv. Agenda always posted four days before a meeting
v. No one who participated in a meeting had to take an oath.  Important because jurors did, which meant that their decisions were believed to deserve greater credence.
vi. Sources suggest relatively small number of political leaders in Athens.  People who spoke in assembly were called rhetores.

1) speakers
2) proposers of decrees

a) nb probouleuma came through council [=> proposer was counsillor]
b) often political leaders had "men of straw" [sykophants] propose decrees [e.g. Demosthenes accuses Timarchus of being Androtion’s sykophant] ? why?

vii. voting on decrees was by

1) show of hands

a) proedroi called for ayes and nays.  People raised their hands in their seats.  It appears the proedroi made a rough estimate and would take a second vote on their own initiative or on the request of an Assembly member

2) casting of votes

viii. The proposer of a decree, the proedroi, and the chairman of the prytanny were subject to litigation on decrees
ix. A copy of a decree was kept in the Metroön and if the decree provided inscribed on stone (job of secretary of Council)
x. After all votes for items on agenda taken, proedroi declared meeting over.  Citizens left Pynx and received their pay.

c. organization of meetings

i. Each of the 10 tribes sent 50 members to the Council/Boule (called prytaneis)
ii. Each month 1 tribe served as prytaneis ("administrators") of the Council/Boule
iii. Each day nine proedroi were chosen by lot from the 450 members of the Boule who were not serving as prytaneis
iv. The proedroi selected their chairman, epistateston proedron by lot.  The proedroi administered Council/Boule and Assembly/Ekklesia meetings

The People's Court/Dikasteria: