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Democracy returns to Athens, with an amnesty

403 BCE, Athens. An event.

Where and when

403 BCEAthens

2,428 years ago

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, Athens

Exiles led by Thrasybulus overthrow the Thirty. The two sides swear not to remember past wrongs and live together again as citizens.

And, pledged as they were under oath, that in very truth they would not remember past grievances, the two parties even to this day live together as fellow-citizens and the commons abide by their oaths.

Xenophon, Hellenica 2.4.43Translated by Carleton L. Brownson (1918)Read the full passage (Xenophon, Hellenica 2.4.43, opens scaife.perseus.org)

Background: Thirty Tyrants, Wikipedia (opens en.wikipedia.org)

Why it matters

The Amnesty of 403 restored democratic power in Athens and pardoned everyone except the Thirty, the Eleven and the Ten who ruled in Peiraeus, who were exiled.

Based on Wikipedia: Thirty Tyrants

The 'Amnesty of 403' restored democratic power in Athens and pardoned everyone.

This excluded the Thirty, Eleven, and Ten who ruled in Peiraeus, who were exiled.

Wikipedia, Thirty Tyrants (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-19. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

Related moments

In time order, with this one in its place. Each says why it is here.

  1. 406 BCE3 years earlier Athens wins at Arginusae, then condemns its generals Also about democracy and government
  2. set in 406 BCE3 years earlier Xenophon on the Arginusae generals Also about democracy and government
  3. c. 406 BCEabout 2.8999999999999773 years earlier Euripides and Sophocles die Same years
  4. 405 BCE2 years earlier The Athenian fleet is lost at Aegospotami Same years
  5. 404 BCE1.1999999999999886 years earlier Athens surrenders and its walls come down Same years
  6. 404 BCE1 year earlier The Thirty take power in Athens Also about tyrants and the Thirty
  7. set in 404–403 BCEDuring it Theramenes on his way to execution Also in Athens
  8. set in 404–403 BCEDuring it The Thirty seize Athenians' lands Also about tyrants and the Thirty
  9. set in 404 BCE1 year earlier The walls of Athens come down Also in Athens
  10. 403 BCEThis momentDemocracy returns to Athens, with an amnesty
  11. c. 402 BCE1 year later Socrates answers Meno on numbness Also in Athens
  12. c. 353 BCEabout 50 years later Plato's Seventh Letter on Socrates in court Rests on this event

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