What Democracy Meant to the Athenians

One day in 346 BC Demosthenes, son of Demosthenes, citizen of the city-state (polis) of Athens, marched down to the public square (agora) of Athens and into the office of a legal magistrate. There he laid formal charges against a citizen and his enemy of old named Meidias. After consideration, the magistrate put Demosthenes' case against Meidias onto the judicial calendar. On the appointed day, 500 jurors were selected at random from the ranks of male citizens over thirty years old. Demosthenes and Meidias were each to be given a few hours to present a speech to this huge jury. After the two speeches, the jury would vote for prosecutor or defendant by secret ballot. The votes were then counted and the verdict announced. The stakes were very high indeed: the penalty could be a crippling fine, exile, even death.