In Ancient Greece, a deme or demos (Ancient Greek: δῆμος, plural: demoi, δήμοι) 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.

Deme, in ancient Greece, country district or village, as distinct from a polis, or city-state. Dēmos also meant the common people (like the Latin plebs). In Cleisthenes’ democratic reform at Athens (508/507 bce), the demes of Attica (the area around Athens) were given status in local and state

Demes were primarily used in the area surrounding the city-state of Athens, in the part of Ancient Greece referred to as Attica. They were considered to be subdivisions of land that surrounded the city-state itself.

Cydathenaeum or Kydathenaion (Greek: Κυδαθήναιον) was one of the demes in ancient Athens. It belonged in the phyle (tribe) Pandionis.

Feb 17, 2025 · There were thirty trittyes, ten tribes, and approximately a hundred and forty deme in total. The ten tribes, or phylae, of ancient Athens were named according to mythical heroes. The Oracle of Delphi selected the names of those heroes from a …

Apr 6, 2025 · See demes; democracy, athenian. The Greek word means originally ‘district, land’, hence esp. (in Attica and elsewhere) the villages or demes (demoi, pl. of demos) which were the main units of country settlement.

Feb 25, 2022 · The term is connected to the later Doric Greek type "δᾶμoς" (damos) of the Ionian word "δῆμος" (demos) according to linguists. However, there is currently no proof that the term may have had political significance during the Mycenaean palace period, unlike in the later Archaic and Classical periods, when it also had the meaning of ...

Jan 11, 2025 · Demes and hippodromes were fundamental aspects of ancient Greek society that played significant roles in social, political, and cultural life. As centers of community, demes fostered a sense of identity and provided administrative functions.

Jan 29, 2025 · In the rich tapestry of ancient Greece, the deme played a pivotal role in shaping the social and political landscape. As the fundamental unit of local governance, the deme was not just a geographical area but a community that significantly influenced citizenship, identity, and social organization.

The Demes ( δῆμοι), as the subdivisions of Attica were called, had existed from a remote period, though in smaller numbers than they subsequently attained.