Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.524

c7.524

Then, Professor Sharma talks of the "function of debate" being exercised by the "Vedic assemblies, e.g., the *vidatha*, the *sabhā* and *samiti*" which, in his opinion, "is not to be found in the early popular assemblies of the other Indo-European peoples".¹ He forgets that the Roman *patres-familias* elected the *rex* before the foundation of the republic, and that later the *comitia centuriata*, the assembly of the Roman Republic, elected the chief magistrates and heard appeals in capital cases.² The Athenian *ecclesia* had the absolute power of the republic; it debated on the questions of war and peace, and it was the members of the *ecclesia* who tried Socrates.³ It was the community of the early Germans which chose chiefs, conducted trials and decided larger questions.⁴ Moreover, we have also noticed the role that the Vikings played in the election of their chiefs. Hence, it is a wrong assertion that "the early popular assemblies of the other Indo-European peoples" had no debating function.