Ancient history

Pericles makes the misthos vote

In ancient Greece, if citizens had rights and duties, their participation and presence were not compulsory. However, as political life encroaches on the active life of citizens, sometimes depriving them of a day's work, and therefore of salary, the latter willingly abandon their presence in the assembly. This is why, from the VI e century before Christ, the leaders sent Scythian archers who, with a cord coated with vermilion, recovered the absentees or the latecomers! In -451, Pericles has just reduced access to Athenian citizenship. It then becomes urgent to motivate citizens to come and vote on laws and to participate in the political life of the city. But, rather than employ coercive measure, Pericles favored incitement.

Between 454 and 450 BC. AD

Characters

Pericles

Procedure

Indeed, to develop the civic sense of the citizens, Pericles employed a very effective means, by offering them remuneration. He thus decides to pay to each citizen who sits in the assemblies, the Boulè or the Héliée, the misthos! Meaning, in ancient Greek, "pledge" or "pay", the misthos is an indemnity paid to the citizen compensating for his loss of salary when he devoted a day of his work to political life. This aid especially allowed the poorest citizens to participate actively in the political life of their city. A distinction is therefore made between the misthos boulothikos (of La Boulè) and the misthos heliastikos (of Héliée). The misthos cost two obols a day in tribute from the League of Delos which financed this reform, i.e. a third of an average daily wage. Pericles by this measure also counterbalances the popularity of his rival Cimon who showered his wealth on the citizens to attach them to his cause.

Consequences

This measure, called misthophoria, was very effective and it even happened that the police in Athens had to regulate the influx of assemblies! The only city to apply the misthos, Athens was the most politically active of the whole Greek world. Under Cleon, this institution increases and goes to 3 obols per day, but because of the Peloponnesian War (-431 -404 BC) which ruins Athens, this remuneration was stopped in 411 BC.