Athens – The truth about democracy

Athens is revered as the birthplace of Western philosophy, art, science and perhaps the greatest political idea of all time – democracy.

But in this fascinating documentary (first shown on Channel 4 in July 2007), historian Bettany Hughes looks behind some of the myths of Athens’ golden age. She finds a very warlike and aggressive state, which was also capable of terrible mistakes, misdeeds and atrocities.

For more about the origins of one of the greatest political ideas in history, read our expert feature, Who Killed Socrates?