Cleisthenes (Kleisthenes) is widely held to be the author of Athenian democracy. In a historic experiment in the late sixth century BCE, he divided the families of Athens into demes in an attempt to end the reign of tyrants in ancient Greece. Bates traces developmental fallout from this experiment through the five tribes that subsequently accounted for most of post-Cleisthenian Athens. In this astute study the history and chronology of the five tribes (Antigonis, Demetrias, Ptolemais, Attalis, and Hadrianis) are laid out, along with their individual demes. An essential reference for anyone interested in the history of Athens, Greece, or of democracy itself, this brief study is a requisite starting point. Bates also includes a summation of the official order of the tribes, the list of demes for each tribe, and a bibliography.

Frederick Orlando Bates (1867-1928) graduated from Cornell University in 1892. He taught at the Detroit High School and then became the head of the Latin and Greek Department of the College of the City of Detroit, a post he held until his death.