Ancient Athens is often called the birthplace of democracy. With three branches of government and elected officials, it bore significant similarities to modern democracies. However, only twelve percent of Athens's populace was allowed to vote, and civic involvement was much more participatory. In this Structured Academic Controversy (SAC), students consider whether or not ancient Athens was truly democratic.
Image: Photograph of the Acropolis from the Pnyx taken in 1967 by Roger Wollstadt. From Flickr.