The district of Attica, though smaller than our smallest
American commonwealth, was early filled with a number of independent
city-states. It was a great step in advance when, long before the dawn of Greek
history, these tiny communities were united with Athens. The inhabitants of the
Attic towns and villages gave up their separate governments and became members
of the one city-state of Athens. Henceforth a man was a Athenian citizen, no
matter in what part of Attica he lived.
OPPRESSIVE RULE OF THE NOBLES
At an earlier period, perhaps, than elsewhere in Greece,
monarchy at Athens disappeared before the rising power of the nobles. The rule
of the nobility bore harshly on the common people. Popular discontent was
especially excited at the administration of justice. There were at first no
written laws, but only the long-established customs of the community. Since all
the judges were nobles, they were tempted to decide legal cases in favor of
their own class. The people, at length, began to clamor for a written code.
They could then know just what the laws were.
