The Aristotle's Politics

In Aristotle's "Politics", he primarily discusses Greek city-states as examples of republics or political systems, particularly Athens and Sparta. He also references Crete and Carthage, noting Carthage as an example of a well-governed republic outside of Greece. Aristotle analyzes these examples to explore different forms of government, including democracies and oligarchies, while examining the strengths and weaknesses of various republics. His comparisons highlight the diversity of political systems in the ancient world, both within Greece and beyond.

Aristotle, for all his brilliance, was ultimately constrained by the limits of his knowledge about the world beyond his Greek borders. When he penned Politics, a foundational text in Western political philosophy, he relied almost exclusively on examples from nearby city-states like Athens and Sparta. He praised Athens as the first democracy, but we now know that this is a narrow and somewhat misguided view. Athens, often lauded as the cradle of democracy, was actually a relatively late adopter compared to other ancient civilizations across a much broader geographic expanse.

Consider, for instance, the Sumerian city-states like Uruk, which had systems of participatory governance as early as 3000 BCE. These cities operated with councils that were quite democratic, allowing citizens to have a say in decision-making processes. In Mari and Ebla, assemblies met to discuss important matters of state, evidence that these cities in the heart of Mesopotamia were engaging in some form of early democracy long before Athens was even a thought.

Travel further east to Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus Valley, around 2500 BCE. This advanced city had civic planning and governance structures that suggest a high degree of public involvement, with evidence of assembly-like bodies. Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, Knossos on Crete had a long-standing tradition of shared governance, predating the classical Athenian model by centuries.

Sparta itself, one of Aristotle's most studied examples, practiced a kind of dual kingship combined with the Gerousia, a council of elders, and an assembly of citizens known as the Apella, all contributing to governance. Far from being a late adopter of democracy, Carthage, in North Africa, had a political system admired by Aristotle for its balance of monarchic, oligarchic, and democratic elements.

And let's not forget Babylon, Assur, and even Thebes, where shared governance models long predate Athens. Magadha in India, too, had democratic forms, showing that across continents, participatory governance was flourishing well before the 5th century BCE.

The truth is, while Athens had an impressive democratic system, it was by no means the world's first. The more we uncover about ancient civilizations, the more it becomes clear that democracy was not born in one place, but rather a recurring and evolving phenomenon across human history. Aristotle may have celebrated Athens, but he was blissfully unaware of a world rich in democratic traditions.

Yet, Aristotle's acknowledgment of Carthage, an African state, as a well-governed republic contradicts the narrative that Athens, the United States, or Europeans exclusively "invented" republicanism. It highlights Africa's significant contribution to political theory, challenging Eurocentric claims of exclusive innovation in democratic governance and republican ideals.