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Ask the Expert
During the Athens series we invited you to send us your questions about democracy in Ancient Athens.
Below are a selection of those questions, which have been answered personally by the programme presenter, historian Bettany Hughes. We regret that we were unable to respond to all your questions, but want to thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Question 1, Polly (Godstone)
Why do the ancient statues of Greece (and Rome?) not show the eyes in any detail?
Go to answer 1
Question 2, Ian (Cheltenham)
Hi Bettany, I found tonight's opening programme fascinating, particularly the fact that the face of ancient Athenian government seemed to change on a monthly basis. A question that sprung immediately to mind: is there any evidence to indicate that this constant state of flux led to inconsistent government. That is, are there any examples of decisions made one month being immediately reversed by subsequent assemblies?
Go to answer 2
Question 3, Justine (Edinburgh)
Bettany, women in Athens are presented as cloistered and veiled. Why then do so many dramas feature – indeed star – powerful women eg Medea, the Women of Troy, and Elektra to name a few?
Go to answer 3
Question 4, Ann (Horsell)
Could you please tell me whether it is true that:
1) the Parthenon was visible from the sea that it was a political statement for everyone to see, and;
2) it was highly decorated with coloured paint and not the all-white edifice it appears now? Thank you.
Go to answer 4
Question 5, Karl (Castlebar)
Hi bettany, how significant was the battle of Thermopylae in saving the spark that was democracy? Some historians will argue ie peter green, that this last stand of the Spartans rallied the rest of Greece or was it just an act of selfish glory for the Spartan warrior to die on the battlefield. As spartans had their own slaves were they so interested in democracy? Love the show, cheers karl (a budding historian) PS this same pass was used a thousand years or so later by the Celts but by then it was not such a stronghold as the paths around the mountain were well known.
Go to answer 5
Question 6, John (Liverpool)
Hello Bettany, enjoyed the programme enormously. What did you mean exactly when you said near the end that despite venerating Greek Democracy the west has been trying to avoid it?
Go to answer 6
Question 7, Peter (London)
The cemetery u mentioned with the cursed coffins with supernatural powers – what is it actually called? Where in Athens is it, and can you visit it? Was it called Keramaikos?
Go to answer 7
Question 8, Gary (Cefn Y Bedd)
Hi Bettany, I note that the democratic and legislative models of Athens involved many people (up to 1500 in a litigation!!). Now while the citizens were doing their bit they were not being productive elsewhere. How could the economy survive the loss of such numbers for long periods? Could it be that the democratic and legislative systems were only possible due to the productivity of the slave class? It would be ironic that the first system entitling many to have a say was the result of the lack of freedom by the human resource of a slave economy. What is your view?
Go to answer 8
Question 9, Michael (London)
What were the 'unspeakable offerings' the virgins brought to the grove of Venus and what was the night they spent at the shrine an expression of?
Go to answer 9
Question 10, Graham (Leicester)
Dear Bettany, in the second episode you mentioned the Parthenon's role as a palace on Earth for the gods and godesses, part of Athens' traditional religious beliefs which Socrates seemed to undermine with his questioning of accepted thought. Built to glorify Athens, the temple stands as a supreme symbol of this golden age of Athenian democracy. How strongly has it been identified with democratic ideas in Western history? For example, was the revival of classical architecture particularly, the Greek Revival, linked to the political reform movements of the 18th and 19th centuries? The Parthenon's modern image, seen as the 'essence of Greek culture' – as you say – and perhaps an icon for the rationality and revolutions of the Age of Enlightenment, seems at odds with its original role at the heart of ancient Athens' beliefs.
Go to answer 10
Why do the ancient statues of Greece (and Rome?) not show the eyes in any detail?
Go to answer 1
Question 2, Ian (Cheltenham)
Hi Bettany, I found tonight's opening programme fascinating, particularly the fact that the face of ancient Athenian government seemed to change on a monthly basis. A question that sprung immediately to mind: is there any evidence to indicate that this constant state of flux led to inconsistent government. That is, are there any examples of decisions made one month being immediately reversed by subsequent assemblies?
Go to answer 2
Question 3, Justine (Edinburgh)
Bettany, women in Athens are presented as cloistered and veiled. Why then do so many dramas feature – indeed star – powerful women eg Medea, the Women of Troy, and Elektra to name a few?
Go to answer 3
Question 4, Ann (Horsell)
Could you please tell me whether it is true that:
1) the Parthenon was visible from the sea that it was a political statement for everyone to see, and;
2) it was highly decorated with coloured paint and not the all-white edifice it appears now? Thank you.
Go to answer 4
Question 5, Karl (Castlebar)
Hi bettany, how significant was the battle of Thermopylae in saving the spark that was democracy? Some historians will argue ie peter green, that this last stand of the Spartans rallied the rest of Greece or was it just an act of selfish glory for the Spartan warrior to die on the battlefield. As spartans had their own slaves were they so interested in democracy? Love the show, cheers karl (a budding historian) PS this same pass was used a thousand years or so later by the Celts but by then it was not such a stronghold as the paths around the mountain were well known.
Go to answer 5
Question 6, John (Liverpool)
Hello Bettany, enjoyed the programme enormously. What did you mean exactly when you said near the end that despite venerating Greek Democracy the west has been trying to avoid it?
Go to answer 6
Question 7, Peter (London)
The cemetery u mentioned with the cursed coffins with supernatural powers – what is it actually called? Where in Athens is it, and can you visit it? Was it called Keramaikos?
Go to answer 7
Question 8, Gary (Cefn Y Bedd)
Hi Bettany, I note that the democratic and legislative models of Athens involved many people (up to 1500 in a litigation!!). Now while the citizens were doing their bit they were not being productive elsewhere. How could the economy survive the loss of such numbers for long periods? Could it be that the democratic and legislative systems were only possible due to the productivity of the slave class? It would be ironic that the first system entitling many to have a say was the result of the lack of freedom by the human resource of a slave economy. What is your view?
Go to answer 8
Question 9, Michael (London)
What were the 'unspeakable offerings' the virgins brought to the grove of Venus and what was the night they spent at the shrine an expression of?
Go to answer 9
Question 10, Graham (Leicester)
Dear Bettany, in the second episode you mentioned the Parthenon's role as a palace on Earth for the gods and godesses, part of Athens' traditional religious beliefs which Socrates seemed to undermine with his questioning of accepted thought. Built to glorify Athens, the temple stands as a supreme symbol of this golden age of Athenian democracy. How strongly has it been identified with democratic ideas in Western history? For example, was the revival of classical architecture particularly, the Greek Revival, linked to the political reform movements of the 18th and 19th centuries? The Parthenon's modern image, seen as the 'essence of Greek culture' – as you say – and perhaps an icon for the rationality and revolutions of the Age of Enlightenment, seems at odds with its original role at the heart of ancient Athens' beliefs.
Go to answer 10
