deme, inancient Greece, country district or village, as distinct from apolis, orcity-state.Dēmos also meant the common people (like the Latinplebs). InCleisthenes’ democratic reform atAthens (508/507bce), the demes ofAttica (the area around Athens) were given status in local and state administration. Males 18 years of age were registered in their local demes, therebyacquiring civic status and rights.

The demes of Attica were local corporations with police powers and their own property, cults, and officials. Members met to decide deme matters and kept property records for purposes of taxation. Thebouletai (members of the Athenian Boule, orCouncil of Five Hundred) were selected from each deme in proportion to its size. Because the demes were natural districts in origin, their size varied considerably. There were about 150 demes in the 5th centurybce and more than 170 later. A typical deme had threebouletai, but the largest had as many as 22.

The termdeme continued todesignate local subdivisions inHellenistic andRoman times and was applied to circus factions atConstantinople in the 5th and 6th centuriesce.Deme is also the root of the worddemonym, which refers to a person or group of people living in or from a specific place, such asIndians,Asians,Athenians, andBritons.