Abstract

Since the 18th century modern historiography discussed about parties in classical Ath¬ens and the concept of «party» is sometimes used today, even though there is not any evidence of homogeneous, univocal and solid political groups in those times. The main reason of this absence is to be found in the very nature of "demokratia", where people di¬rectly govern the city without delegating the "kratos" to any intermediate representation. Starting from this assumption, the essay discusses whether the term "demos" refers to the people as a whole, or rather to the most numerous and poor part of it. A question which is debated by the supporters and the critics of ancient democracy.