Helieia was a court[1] ancient Athenian judiciary, possibly established by Clisthenes or Solon[2]It served as a court of appeal. Composed of 6,000 members selected locally by lottery, participants were required to be citizens over the age of 30, free of debt and civil disabilities. Intellectual or physical disabilities could exempt individuals from service. The court had the power to hear cases, impose punishments and impose fines. Members could be disqualified from participation, with such information presented to the court. In Argos, a similar institution met in a place called "haliaia". The etymology of the term is connected to "Helios" (sun) and "heliousthai" (to appreciate the sun). Historical sources documenting the Helieia include works by Aristotle, Andocides, Aristophanes, Demosthenes and Plutarch, as well as modern academic publications on Athenian democratic practices.
A Helieia (in Greek: Ήλιαία; in Greek Doric: Halia) was the supreme court of Ancient Athens. The general opinion among academics is that the origin of its name is the verb Ήλιάζεσθαι, which means συναθροίζεσθαι, "to congregate". Another version states that its name is due to the fact that the meetings took place outdoors, under the sun (Helios). Helieia was also called the 'Great Ecclesia'; initially it referred to the place where the hearings were convened, but later the term came to designate the assembly itself.
Judges who were part of it were called heliastas (Ήλιασταί), dicasts (δικασταί), and omomokótes (ὀμωμοκότες, lit. "those who swore", i.e. the jurors). The act of judgement was called Ήλιάζεσθαι (heliázesthai) or δικάζειν (dikázein).
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