In Ancient Greece , dokimasia (Greek: δοκιμασία) was the name used at Athens to denote the process of ascertaining the capacity of the citizens for the exercise of public rights and duties.
48-532: If, for instance, a young citizen was to be admitted among the epheboi , he was examined in an assembly of his district to find out whether he was descended on both sides from Athenian citizens, and whether he possessed the physical capacity for military service . All officials, too—even the members of the Boule , the Council of 500—had to submit to an examination before entering upon their office. The purpose of this
96-550: A stage to facilitate presentation of the debate to an audience. Recording and broadcasting equipment may be installed in a debating chamber so that proceedings there can be shown to the public at large. In the case of a legislative chamber or the like, there may be separate galleries for the public, while members of the legislature (and appropriate staff) are the only ones permitted in the chamber proper. The configuration of seating affects interpersonal communication on conscious and subconscious levels. For example, disagreements over
144-415: A semicircular design may promote discussion for the purpose of reaching a consensus, while an arrangement with two opposing sides may promote adversarial debating. The auditorium form of seating (and chamber) is a large audience facing a stage, often with a proscenium . The model is similar to direct instruction whereby the communication is unidirectional without active interaction or debate. Response
192-512: A similar size and configuration as the prior chamber, to maintain the intimate and adversarial style of debate which he believed was responsible for creating the British form of government. Whether outdoors or in an enclosed space or chamber, such as a cave, it is likely that the earliest designated places for group discourse or debate occurred around a fire, for light, heat, or protection from predators. Throughout recorded history there have been
240-399: A sitting) frequently sit in a straight or nearly straight line. Examples and images: The rectangular ( bifurcated ) seating configuration comprises two opposing rows of seats or benches facing towards a central aisle which bisects the room. At one end is commonly found a chair, throne, or podium for a Speaker , a monarch or president, or chairperson, respectively. This format is used in
288-482: A test to ensure that the individual had met his obligations as a tax paying citizen. One example of this would be shown as a check on the individual's ability to not deprive his family of any monetary support while serving in an unpaid office. The examination was carried on in public by the archons in the presence of the Boule, and anyone present had the right to raise objections. If such objections were held to be valid,
336-601: A variety of places and spaces designated for similar purposes. An early gathering for assembly purposes was the Ecclesia of ancient Athens , a popular assembly open to all male citizens with two years of military service. This was held in an Ekklesiasterion , which varied from small amphitheaters to a variety of buildings, including ones that could accommodate over 5,000 people. These assemblies were also held in amphitheater-like, open air theaters . Bouleuterions , also translated as council house, assembly house, and senate house,
384-519: Is a term for a male adolescent in Ancient Greece . The term was particularly used to denote one who was doing military training and preparing to become an adult. From about 335 BC, ephebes from Athens (aged between 18–20) underwent two years of military training under supervision, during which time they were exempt from civic duties and deprived of most civic rights. During the 3rd century BC, ephebic service ceased to be compulsory and its time
432-432: Is limited to applause or speakers coming onto the stage, from the audience or backstage, to provide a subsequent presentation to the audience. Given the scale and format, there is little opportunity for any direct discourse. Examples and images : USSR Supreme Soviet The council and courtroom configuration of seating is one that fosters interaction between the " panel " (court, council, board, or other officials) and
480-540: Is nominally directing his or her comments towards the speaker, but they do so facing the opposing members with their own group facing the same way they are. Without having one's own side turn around, it is not possible to face all members of the chamber simultaneously. In the British Parliament, the traditional method of recorded voting is called " division of the assembly " is by members placing themselves in separate rooms called division lobbies , one each for
528-570: Is not in a position of support or opposition. This position gives pride of place to the podium, is not inherently partisan, and if each member of the group is given the chance to address the group, everyone has a (theoretically) equal position. Examples and images: France's National Assembly , U.S. House of Representatives , UN General Assembly , Parliament of Finland , Brazilian Chamber of Deputies , Scottish Parliament , German Bundestag , Riksdag of Sweden Circular seating configurations for places of discourse have been envisioned as early as
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#1732784014518576-698: Is the Tynwald of the Isle of Man . In 19th century Russia, the Duma emerged to perform similar advisory functions to the monarch. In the 14th century, the king of France established the Estates General , a legislative and consultative assembly of the different classes (or estates ) of French subjects . In the 18th Century French Revolution, this was transformed into the National Assembly (1789),
624-478: Is the collection to which the object belongs or belonged, or the site on which it was found (e.g. the Agrigento Ephebe ). [REDACTED] Media related to Ephebes at Wikimedia Commons [REDACTED] The dictionary definition of ephebos at Wiktionary Debate chamber A debate chamber a room for conducting the business of a deliberative assembly or otherwise for debating . When used as
672-451: The Greek revival movements in architecture, including literal use of the symbology of the ancient democracy. Its form allows for presentation by a single person, or small group, to speak or present to all members of the chamber on a face-to-face basis from a podium (or similar element) at the focal point of the room. The primary hierarchy of position is largely distance from the podium, and
720-687: The National Constituent Assembly (1789–1791), the Legislative Assembly (1971–1792), the National Convention (1792–1795), the Council of Five Hundred (1795–1799), and eventually the tricameral (three-house) French Consulate during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte . These bodies met in a variety of palaces, a riding academy , a large theater , and a tennis court . In the late 18th century
768-601: The Parliament of Britain and the current Parliament of the United Kingdom (or British Parliament). The system of government that emerged in this model is known as the Westminster system . In Europe, similar models to parliament emerged, termed Diet and Thing, or Ting , thing derived from old Norse for "appointed time" or "assembly". The parliament that claims to have the longest continuous existence
816-472: The United States of America established the U.S. Congress , a bicameral legislative model that would form the template of many newly emergent republics around the world. The form adopted involved two legislative bodies, each with its own chamber. The lower house , the U.S. House of Representatives , was intended to provide representation based on population. The upper house , the U.S. Senate ,
864-555: The Westminster style of parliamentary debating chambers, such as in the Parliaments of the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other former British colonies. In this configuration, on one side of the aisle is the government and the other the opposition. This supports oppositional or divided groupings, from which emerged in the 19th century the two-party political system in the UK, and its dominions and colonies. Each person speaking
912-529: The "Ayes" and "Noes". (This is derived from the Roman Senate which voted by division, by a senator seating himself on one side of the chamber or the other to indicate a vote. Common folklore speaks of the aisle between the government and the opposition sides as being "two sword lengths", or "two sword lengths plus an inch", apart, although there is no record of this being a criterion. Examples and images: House of Commons of Canada , House of Commons of
960-517: The "head" or "end" of the table are in a position of dominance; they can see everybody, and normally everybody can see them, but the others are restricted to seeing only those across from them. Circular, square, or elliptical tables facilitate more equal status between those seated, as well as less obstructed lines of sight. A circular gathering with three participants provides the only non-oppositional configuration of more than two persons that allows equal line of sight (all 120 degrees apart). The smaller
1008-1164: The 12th Century story of the Knights of the Round Table . As with many later versions, this was intended to be a collaborative forum. In the late 1940s, facilities for the United Nations Security Council , a body formed during and immediately after World War II , were designed to support collaboration and avoid confrontation. Since the early 1990s, several debating chambers have been constructed that support, or were designed to support, consensus -style or collaboration -style discourse and government. These include legislative assembly facilities for indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in Northern Canada, Great Britain, and Polynesia. Most are for bodies that do not involve formal political parties. Examples and images: United Nations Security Council , Senedd of Wales, Wilp Si A'yuukhl Nisga'a) , Legislative Assembly of Nunavut , Legislative Assembly of
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#17327840145181056-459: The Latin for elder , and assembly ). Some examples of the more common names for debating spaces: There are several common configurations of seating used in debate chambers: auditorium, rectangular, fan-shaped, circular, and hybrids. The shapes of the room vary and do not necessarily reflect or match the seat configurations. The architectural design of the chamber can shape the style of debating:
1104-810: The Northwest Territories , meeting halls of the Society of Friends , National Parliament of the Solomon Islands . The introduction of regular live television broadcasts of legislative chambers, which began with the Canadian House of Commons in 1977, has influenced debate and extended the audience well beyond the physical location of the debate chamber. More recently this has developed into direct two-way communication in small and large meeting rooms ( virtual events ), and even through personal hand-held devices into nearly every corner of
1152-408: The United Kingdom , Cortes of Castilla–La Mancha A hybrid of the bifurcated and semi-circular seating configurations combines a central aisle with a curved end at one end facing the focal point (e.g. Speaker's chair ) at the other. Another hybrid form is one that is rectangular, but not bi-furcated; the overall arrangement is rectangular, as is each of the three seat groupings. For example, in both
1200-426: The audience as such; they may even be watching remotely. Therefore, a debate can occur basically anywhere, even in the street, in a hallway, on board a moving vehicle, or any number of other unusual locations. However, in common parlance, a debating chamber is a room set aside for the purposes of holding debates, usually permanently. It usually contains furniture set up to organize the debate, so as to clearly separate
1248-466: The candidate was rejected; but he had the right to appeal the decision to a court , which would take cognizance of the matter in judicial form. On the other hand, if he were accepted, anyone who thought his claims insufficient had the right of instituting judicial proceedings against him. If the decision was adverse, he would lose his office and be further liable to punishment depending on the offence—which could be, for instance, that of unlawfully assuming
1296-428: The college of ephebi was a miniature city, which possessed an archon , strategos , herald and other officials, after the model of the city of Athens. In Ancient Greek sculpture , an ephebe is a sculptural type depicting a nude ephebos ( Archaic examples of the type are also often known as the kouros type, or kouroi in the plural). This typological name often occurs in the form "the X Ephebe ", where X
1344-588: The field; the Greek city states ( poleis ) mainly depended (like the Roman Republic ) on its militia of citizens for defense. In the time of Aristotle (384–322 BC), Athens engraved the names of the enrolled ephebi on a bronze pillar (formerly on wooden tablets) in front of the council-chamber . After admission to the college, the ephebus took the oath of allegiance (as recorded in histories by Pollux and Stobaeus —but not in Aristotle) in
1392-482: The frontiers, and on occasion took an active part in war. During these two years they remained free from taxation, and were generally not allowed to appear in the law courts as plaintiffs or defendants. The ephebi took part in some of the most important Athenian festivals. Thus during the Eleusinian Mysteries they were sent to fetch the sacred objects from Eleusis and to escort the image of Iacchus on
1440-483: The group and setting, the greater the equity of participants and sight lines. Conversely, the more participants that are present, the greater is the disparity of sight lines between those sitting immediately adjacent and those more directly across, whose position in turn becomes more oppositional. Winston Churchill recognized this when he insisted the British House of Commons be rebuilt (after wartime bombing) in
1488-701: The lower house of the Czech Republic's Chamber of Deputies and in the Palace of Assembly at Chandigarh, India , the seating arrangement is a series of straight rows all facing inward in three groupings, two on either side of a central aisle and one at the end facing the podium. Examples and images: India's Lok Sabha , Australia's House of Representatives , National Assembly of South Africa , Legislative Assembly of Manitoba , New Zealand's House of Representatives The hemicycle or semi-circular seating configuration originated in late 18th century France when
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1536-481: The meeting place of a legislature , a debate chamber may also be known as a council chamber , legislative chamber , assembly chamber , or similar term depending on the relevant body. Some countries, such as New Zealand, use the term debating chamber as a name for the room where the legislature meets. Debating can happen more or less anywhere that is not immediately hazardous. Whether informal or structured, debates often have an audience. The debate does not involve
1584-422: The more likely their relationship will be one of opposition to each other; the less direct, or more "side-by-side" these positions are, the less likely such an opposing relationship becomes, but also the less effective it will be at fostering collaboration. These effects can be observed in debate chambers, meeting rooms, and at dining or restaurant tables. For instance, with a long rectangular table, those seated at
1632-493: The people participating in the debate and the audience, and usually to clearly separate the sides of the debate. If the format of the debate includes a moderator (such as the speaker of a legislature ) they must sit in a clear position of authority. In general, a debate chamber has seats and tables for the moderator and the debate participants, and a separate seating area for the audience. Other facilities may include one or more podiums for delivering speeches, possibly located on
1680-488: The people. The question might thus be raised whether the orator were not actually atimos , or guilty of an offence which involved atimia . Docimasia may also refer to the lung float test . This article incorporates content from the 1894 Dictionary of Classical Antiquities , which is in the public domain. Ephebos Ephebos ( Greek : ἔφηβος ; pl. epheboi , Greek : ἔφηβοι ), latinized as ephebus (pl. ephebi) and anglicised as ephebe (pl. ephebes),
1728-638: The post-revolutionary leaders selected the amphitheater form as one that would symbolize and foster unity, in contrast to the "impression of parliamentary fragmentation" of the British configuration. This configuration was soon emulated in other parts of Europe and in the United States Congress, the Capitol Building being designed by French architect Benjamin Latrobe . This adoption of the ancient Greek theater form coincided with
1776-421: The public. The panel members may debate or engage in discourse amongst themselves, particularly in a council of elected officials, but that is not normally the main portion of discourse. The more linear the seating arrangement is, the less supportive of it is for discourse. City Council chamber are less likely to use a linear configuration whereas judges in a court of law (where there is more than one judge in
1824-448: The rights of a citizen. The archons within a dokimasia would not have to base the decisions they made to exclude an incoming official on strict laws, they were allowed to follow their own political and/or moral standings to see if a man should be viewed as dangerous to the people. A speaker in a public assembly might thus be brought before a court by any citizen, for only one possessing the full right of citizenship could legally address
1872-427: The sacred way. They also performed police duty at the meetings of the ecclesia . After the end of the 4th century BC, the institution underwent a radical change. Enrolment ceased to be obligatory, lasted only for a year, and the limit of age was dispensed with. Inscriptions attest a continually decreasing number of ephebi, and with the admission of foreigners the college lost its representative national character. This
1920-483: The shape of a negotiation table delayed the Vietnam War peace talks for almost a year. The geometry of seating position can support or determine a sense of opposition/confrontation, hierarchy/dominance, or collaboration/equality. Factors such as angle/rotation, proximity/distance, median/termini, and height/incline are all relevant considerations. The more directly two parties are positioned across from one another,
1968-500: The temple of Aglaurus and was sent to Munichia or Acte as a member of the garrison . At the end of the first year of training the ephebi were reviewed; if their performance was satisfactory, the state provided each with a spear and a shield, which, together with the chlamys (cloak) and petasos (broad-brimmed hat), made up their equipment. In their second year they were transferred to other garrisons in Attica , patrolled
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2016-484: The world. This has both changed the nature of the physical nature of the debating environment into a digital and virtual one, and in a non-literal sense into a series of ever-changing and highly varied configuration and collection of spaces determined by where each debate participant happens to be located. This may also have the added effect of drawing others into the debate, whether as passive observers or active participants, unwittingly, uninvited, or by active invitation of
2064-402: The year when church leaders and wealthy landowners were invited to discuss the affairs of the country with the king (of England, Normandy, and France). In the 13th century this developed into the Parliament of England (concilium regis in parliamento). Similar models emerged at roughly the same time with the Parliament of Scotland and Parliament of Ireland . These were later consolidated into
2112-641: Was a building in ancient Greece which housed the council of citizens of a democratic city state . In Ancient Rome , the earliest recorded debating chamber was for the deliberative body of the Roman Senate . The first official debating model that emerged (centuries later) after the fall of the Roman Empire was the Magnum Concilium , or Great Council, after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. These were convened at certain times of
2160-587: Was intended to provide more deliberative oversight on legislation and was to represent the States (equally). Each was created and its chambers designed before political parties were well established. The names given to debating places or spaces may refer to an activity, such as assembly or debating; it may refer to the persons performing that activity, such as noblemen ( Oireachtas in Ireland), lords, or estates ; or it may refer to both, such as Senate (derived from
2208-623: Was mainly due to the weakening of the military spirit and to the progress of intellectual culture. The military element was no longer all-important, and the ephebia became a sort of university for well-to-do young men of good family, whose social position has been compared with that of the Athenian "knights" of earlier times. The institution lasted till the end of the 3rd century AD. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, foreigners, including Romans, began to be admitted as ephebes. At this period
2256-573: Was reduced to one year. By the 1st century BC, the ephebia became an institution reserved for wealthy individuals and, besides military training, it also included philosophic and literary studies. Though the word ephebos (from epi "upon" + hebe "youth", "early manhood" ) can simply refer to the adolescent age of young men of training age, its main use is for the members, exclusively from that age group, of an official institution ( ephebia ) that saw to building them into citizens, but especially to training them as soldiers, sometimes already sent into
2304-409: Was to ascertain not their actual capacity for the post, which was presupposed in all candidates, but their descent from Athenian citizens, their life and character, and (in the case of some offices which involved the administration of large sums) even the amount of their property. The individual's examination was not nearly a test for someone's knowledge or capability to perform well in office, but rather
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