Exploring the Development of Representative Institutions in Greek Federal States: The Council as Key Institution in Representative Governments

This paper investigates the concept of political representation within Greek federal states, with a focus on the council as a pivotal institution in ancient representative governments. It challenges the common reluctance to recognise the existence of political representation in ancient Greece by establishing a definition that aligns with the institutional realities of the Greek world. It argues that representation constitutes the political space in which federal citizenship was exercised. Furthermore, it examines the cases of Boeotia, Aetolia, and Phokis, highlighting the distinctive nature of federal representation and revealing the complexities of a system that integrated both elements of representation and direct democracy.