The Birth of Athenian Democracy, a Visual Representation
presented by Dr John Voukelatos
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- Where: Greek Centre, Level 12 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
- Entry: Free
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Event Details
The contribution of the ancient Greeks to modernity is inestimable. At the end of the 5th century in Athens we saw the culmination of events that had started a century earlier with the reforms of Solon, leading to the birth of democracy. Understanding how democracy developed in Athens is important not only to political scientists and historians but to all of us as it is a central tenet of our modern Western societies. Nearly every day we hear on the news or read in the newspapers or journals how it is important that all societies should have a government based on democratic principles. To understand why democracy is the preferred form of governing, we need to know how and why it arose. In this talk I will give an overview on the birth of Athenian democracy from the earlier forms of government including oligarchies, tyrannies and Kingdoms. By using ancient Greek pottery, and artefacts to illustrate the birth of democracy we will be introduced to the concepts of personification in Greek Art and learn how to interpret Attic vase painting. We will see how the icons of democracy, the Tyrannicides, were used by the Athenian artists in a more general sense to distinguish the civilized Athenian from the uncivilized barbarian.
About Dr John Voukelatos
Dr Voukelatos is a cardiologist who earned his medical degree from the University of Melbourne in 1985 and continues to work in the private and public hospital sectors. He has an interest in ancient Greek pottery and numismatics, in particular, the history of Greek Vase and Numismatic collections and their collectors. He written papers have appeared in Koinon: The International Journal of Numismatics, Nomismatika Chronika: The Greek Numismatic Society Journal, and Revue Numismatique: French Numismatic Society Journal. He assists the Zurich based Numismatic firm Nomos Ag in researching early 20th and late 19th century pedigrees for ancient coins in the market place. He has also collaborated with the curators of the numismatic departments at Harvard University and Boston Museum of Fine Arts in numismatic pedigree research. He has provided long term loans to the National Gallery of Victoria, the Ian Potter Museum of Art, the Hellenic Museum Melbourne, Latrobe University, and the James Logie Museum of Art in Christchurch New Zealand. He has lectured at a number of schools and the Hellenic Museum on a variety of topics including Greek mythology as depicted on Ancient Greek pottery, the Birth of Democracy, and Greek cults and religion.
How to Participate
This event is free and in-person only.
Sponsors
This seminar is sponsored by Leon Frangos.
About Greek History and Culture Seminars 2026
This event is part of the series Greek History and Culture Seminars 2026.
The Greek Community of Melbourne hosts a wide range of events, from intimate gatherings to large functions, and celebrates cultural diversity with vibrant festivals, performances, and exhibitions.
Greek History and Culture Seminars 2026 will run between: Thursday, 05 March 2026 and Thursday, 17 September 2026
See all Greek History and Culture Seminars 2026 published events.
- LANGUAGE English
- CATEGORY Literary
- EVENT SERIES Seminars > Greek History and Culture Seminars 2026
- SERIES DATES Thursday, 05/03/2026 – Thursday, 17/09/2026
- PRESENTED BY The Greek Community of Melbourne
- FEATURING Dr John Voukelatos
- PLACE Greek Centre, Level 12
- ADDDRESS 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
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