Final answer:
The political system in the provided excerpt is an early form of direct democracy practiced in ancient Athens where all free adult male citizens could participate in the Assembly and have a say in the law-making processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The political system described in the excerpt is best identified as democracy, specifically the Athenian version known as a direct democracy. In Athens, the notion of 'rule by the people' truly came to light in the form of a governmental system where all free adult male citizens had the right to participate in the Assembly, the central legislative body. This system was most fully realized during the Classical period (500-323 BCE), after the Greek city-states, including Athens, united to face the Persian invasion and before their independence waned. Unlike modern representative democracies, Athenian democracy allowed citizens to directly vote on laws and decisions of the state.
Athens was large and influential, with a citizen body of thirty to forty thousand during the Classical Greece period, though only a fraction was needed for Assembly decisions. The Assembly met at least ten times a year, and laws required its approval. Additionally, citizens were chosen by lot to sit in the Council and could serve jury duty, playing active roles in both legislative and judicial branches. Despite its inclusivity among male citizens, women, slaves, and foreigners were excluded from participation in the democracy.
The extensive participation of citizens in Athenian governance contrasted sharply with other forms of government of the time, such as monarchies and oligarchies. The Athenian experiment with democracy notably influenced subsequent European and ancient Roman political thought and continues to be a reference point for democratic principles today.