A historical digression from ordinary postings-- The PBS TV network in the U.S.A. had a show on 21 Feb 2000 about the Greeks and the origins of Democracy (thanks to Cleisthenes of Athens). We build on the works of our illustrious predecessors (which have enabled us to have the luxury of this list). Today in the U.S.A., there are various indirect minority rule gerrymanders for electing each house of the U.S. Congress, each state legislature and the U.S. President and Vice-President. Nothing new in 2,500 years !!!??? Index of the PBS TV show with various links-- http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/htmlver/index.html Cleisthenes Introduction 570 BC - Cleisthenes born / early life 560 BC - Athens During Cleisthenes' Youth 510 BC - Hippias is driven out of Athens 510 BC - Cleisthenes First Period of Power 508 BC - Isagoras Seizes Power 507 BC - Revolution in Athens 507 BC - Cleisthenes Recalled Themistocles Introduction c.523 BC - Themistocles' Early Life c.523 BC - Themistocles' Rise to Power 491 BC - King Darius of Persia demands Greek Submission 490 BC - The Battle of Marathon 487 BC - Themistocles and his rivals 483 BC - Themistocles persuades Athens to build a navy 480 BC - Attica in Panic - the Oracle at Delphi 480 BC - Athens Evacuated 480 BC - The Battle of Salamis 479 BC - Themistocles and the aftermath of war 479 BC - Themistocles & the walls of Athens 470 BC - Themistocles' Ostracism 460 BC - Themistocles' Dies in Exile Pericles Introduction c.493 - Pericles early life 472 BC - Pericles enters public life 460 BC - Pericles' rise to power 451 BC - Pericles' Citizenship law & Aspasia 447 BC - The Acropolis rebuilt 443 BC - Pericles' defeats his rivals 438 BC - Pericles Triumphant- Athens at its height 431 BC - Pericles persuades Athens to go to war 430 BC - The plague strikes Athens 429 BC - The Long Death of Pericles Socrates Introduction 469 BC - Socrates' birth and early life 431 BC - Socrates and the War c.420s - Socrates and the Oracle of Delphi c.420s - Socrates and his method 423 BC - Socrates and the Sophists Aspasia Introduction c.460 BC - Aspasia of Miletus c.445 BC - Aspasia - A Hetaira? 440 BC - Aspasia and Pericles: A Marriage Forbidden 431 BC - Aspasia and Pericles: First Couple of Athens 429 BC - Aspasia and Pericles: Triumph to tragedy 406 BC - Aspasia after Pericles Greek Culture Agora, The Different Types of Greek Drama and their importance, The Great Playwrights of Athens' 'Golden Age', The Greek Women: Marriage and Divorce Hetaira and Courtesans Homosexuality Houses of Athens, The Intellectual Life in Athens during its height Leisured Life: The Gymnasia Leisured Life: The Theatre New sculpture: Critius boy vs. the traditional Kouros Olympic Games - The Events, The Oracle at Delphi, The Origin of the Olympic Games, The What the Olympic Games were actually like Origins of Theatre - The First Actor, The Origins of Theatre - The First Plays (continued), The Ostracism Plague - Thucydides account of the Plague, The Populace of Athens - Freemen, The Populace of Athens - Metics, The Populace of Athens - Slaves, The Populace of Athens - Women, The Populace of Athens, The Streets of Athens, The Women and Myth Greek Politics 404: The Tyranny of the Thirty 405: Athens Defeated 407: Downfall (Lysander becomes Spartan War Leader) 411: Democracy Overthrown (The Brief Rule of the 400) Cleisthenes Favor Delian League Final End of Athenian Democracy, The How Pisistratus took power How Salamis was remembered - Aeshylus' The Persians Ostracism Pericles Funeral Oration in Depth Pisistratus Rules as Tyrant & Reforms The Economy Reforms of Cleisthenes - the Council of Five Hundred, The Reforms of Cleisthenes - the tribes, The Greek Warfare 418: War By Other Means (Alcibiades becomes leader of Athens) 421: The Peace of Nicias 425: The War Descends into Barbarity Athens Refuses to be defeated (Sparta and Persia strike up an alliance in 413) Battle of Plataea, The Hoplites Pelopennesian War - 431: The Beginning of the Great War, The Persians Invade - Thermopylae, The Phidippides' & the First Marathon Reasons for the Peloponnesian War in More Detail, The Sicilian Campaign of 415, The Tactics Used At Marathon / continued, The Tactics Used At Marathon, The Themistocles' Order for Athens to be Abandoned (The Declaration of Troizen) Themistocles' message to Xerxes Trireme, The Greek Architecture Buildings of the Acropolis, The Colonus Agoraeus, The History of the Acropolis, The Houses of Athens, The Inside the Parthenon Oracle at Delphi, The Parthenon, The Pynx, The Other People in Greek History Alcmaeonids And How They Acquired Their Wealth, The Artemisia, Warrior-Queen of Halicarnassus Historians, The Importance of Homer, The Law-maker Dracon, The Pisistratus Rules as Tyrant & Reforms The Economy Plato and the legacy of Socrates: Aristotle Plato and the legacy of Socrates Sophists, The Who was Homer? Who was Solon? Who were the 'Accursed'? Other Places and Cultures Mycenean Civilisation, The Other Greek city-states, The Rest of the World at the time of Classical Greece, The Sparta: Famous quotes about Spartan life Sparta: Government and classes Sparta: Origins Why did Greece develop city-states? Background to the Greek colonies of Turkey Also on The Greeks Web Site Timeline Acropolis Experience The Making Of The Greeks Order The Greeks Home Video and Companion Book Educational Resources Greeks Interactive Virtual Socrates Screensaver (PC Version) Virtual Socrates Screensaver (Mac Version)