Democracy’s Voice

The Ancient Agora Museum in Athens houses a host of artifacts related to Athenian democracy, including a clepsydra, or water clock, which was used to impose time limits on speeches before tribunals and in political discourse in late fifth century B.C.

I became transfixed by the piece on a trip to Greece with my family a few years back, and joked with my kids about setting up a similar clock at home so we could keep their teen-aged pleas to a minimum.

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About the Author(s)

Eve Tahmincioglu

Eve Tahmincioglu is the former editor-in-chief of Director & Boards .


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