Pnyx

The Pnyx ( Greek: πνύξ, neugriech. Πνύκα ) is a hill in Athens, located just west of the Acropolis and since the reforms of Cleisthenes around 508 BC to 330 BC, the city of the People's Assembly ( Ekklesia ). The name Pnyx therefore also referred to the Versammlungsbau on the Pnyxhügel. Before these meetings in the agora were held in the theater of Dionysus later.

The development of Pnyxhügels

In the development of Pnyxhügels three phases can be distinguished. Built in the 5th century Pnyx I used (as well as most of the Greek theater) the natural slope. She had the lower, northern end, a low retaining wall on which the speaker platform, the Bema was. In this phase, the Pnyx took about 6,000 people. Since you have to start from about 30,000 voting citizens, we therefore expected a turnout of more than 20%. It should be noted that many citizens who lived in the country, had to stay in the city, to visit the People's Assembly, and daily allowances were not introduced until 395 BC.

In construction phase II (according to Plutarch to 404 BC) the Pnyx was rotated by about 180 °, was so inclined from then on against the natural slope course, what a mighty wall to the north and substantial embankments were necessary. The visible parts of the Pnyx belong mostly to the third phase (around 340 BC), a massive expansion of the previous building, the 13800-24100 citizens offered space for modern estimates. The third construction phase also includes two large porches, which should provide shelter to the citizens in bad weather, but these were never completed. About the Pnyxhügel was also a part of the city walls of ancient Athens.