DEMOCRACY began with an ugly man who was struck on the back. His name was Thersites, and he is a little-known character from Homer’s Iliad that dates from around the 9th century BC.

In this story of the kings and princes who brought thousands of soldiers to defeat the city of Troy, Thersites is described as “the ugliest” among them. He is lame, hunchbacked, and has only a few tufts of hair on his head. But he is mentioned in the Iliad for