<P> Anthropologists have identified forms of proto - democracy that date back to small bands of hunter - gatherers that predate the establishment of agrarian, settled, societies and still exist virtually unchanged in isolated indigenous groups today . In these groups of generally 50 - 100 individuals, often tied closely by familial bonds, decisions are reached by consensus or majority and many times without the designation of any specific chief . Given that these dynamics are still alive and well today, it is plausible to assume that democracy in one form or another arises naturally in any well - bonded group or tribe . </P> <P> These types of democracy are commonly identified as tribalism, or primitive democracy . In this sense, a primitive democracy usually takes shape in small communities or villages when there are face - to - face discussions in a village council or with a leader who has the backing of village elders or other cooperative forms of government . This becomes more complex on a larger scale, such as when the village and city are examined more broadly as political communities . All other forms of rule--including monarchy, tyranny, aristocracy, and oligarchy--have flourished in more urban centers, often those with concentrated populations . </P> <P> The concepts (and name) of democracy and constitution as a form of government originated in ancient Athens circa 508 B.C. In ancient Greece, where there were many city - states with different forms of government, democracy was contrasted with governance by elites (aristocracy), by one person (monarchy), by tyrants (tyranny), etc . </P> <P> In recent decades scholars have explored the possibility that advancements toward democratic government occurred somewhere else (i.e. other than Greece) first, as Greece developed its complex social and political institutions long after the appearance of the earliest civilizations in Egypt and the Near East . </P>

Where was the worlds first known democracy located