Deme

Quick Facts: Who was Deme?

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Deme

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Administrative subdivision unit in ancient Athens, fundamental to Athenian citizenship.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

In Ancient Greece, a deme or demos (Ancient Greek: δῆμος, plural: demoi, δῆμοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside existed in the 6th century BC and earlier, but did not acquire particular significance until the reforms of Cleisthenes in 508 BC. In those reforms, enrollment in the citizen-lists of a deme became the requirement for citizenship; prior to that time, citizenship had been based on membership in a phratry, or family group. At this same time, demes were established in the main city of Athens itself, where they had not previously existed; in all, at the end of Cleisthenes' reforms, Athens was divided into 139 demes. Three other demes were created subsequently: Berenikidai (224/223 BC), Apollonieis (201/200 BC), and Antinoeis (AD 126/127).

Career & Major Achievements

The establishment of demes as the fundamental units of the state weakened the gene, or aristocratic family groups, that had dominated the phratries. A deme functioned to some degree as a polis in miniature, and indeed some demes, such as Eleusis and Acharnae, were in fact significant towns. Each deme had a demarchos who supervised its affairs; various other civil, religious, and military functionaries existed in various demes. Demes held their own religious festivals and collected and spent revenue. Demes were combined within the same area to make trittyes, larger population groups, which in turn were combined to form the ten tribes, or phylai, of Athens.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Each tribe contained one trittys from each of three regions: the city, the coast, and the inland area. At Pylos, Linear B tablets refer to the damos as in the legal dispute of Eritha. Cleisthenes divided the landscape in three zones—urban (asty), coastal (paralia) and inland (mesogeia)—and the 139 demes were organized into 30 groups called trittyes ("thirds"), ten for each of the zones and into ten tribes, or phylai, each composed of three trittyes, one from the coast, one from the city, and one from the inland area. Cleisthenes also reorganized the Boule, created with 400 members under Solon, so that it had 500 members, 50 from each tribe, each deme having a fixed quota. The ten tribes were named after legendary heroes and came to have an official order: In 307/306 – 224/223 BC the system was reorganized with the creation of two Macedonian Phylai (XI.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Deme

True or False: “The initial basis for Athenian citizenship before Cleisthenes' reforms was membership in the deme.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Prior to Cleisthenes' reforms, citizenship was based on membership in a phratry, or family group.

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