The Middle Kingdom is considered to have ended around 1600 BCE, while the Iron Age is not widely considered to have begun until 1300 BCE. The Neo-Assyrian and Babylonian Empires rose from the ashes of the Late Bronze Age Collapse, and the Kingdom of Israel only began its expansion after the Iron Age began.

The Kingdom of Israel was an iron-age monarchy that expanded through modern-day Northern Israel and Jordan. It expanded quickly, conquering and absorbing nomadic tribes including the Canaanites, Hittites, and Philistines before succumbing to rebellions in 950 BCE and collapsing. The Sumerians were not a part of the Kingdom of Israel; they did, however, build their own empire nearly a thousand years earlier centered around the state of Ur.

States in Mesopotamia including Sumer, Akkad, and Assyria are thought to have been the first to use iron, which then spread to North Africa and Southwest Asia by 1000 BCE. Iron was quickly adopted due to properties that made it superior to bronze, such as strength and durability. The ability to produce massive amounts of iron armor and weaponry allowed for quick expansion by iron age empires.

Various kingdoms throughout China fought for regional authority for centuries of the Iron Age. Although the Eastern Zhou Dynasty ruled for some of this period, the emperor was a mere figurehead with no control over the warring states. The period, which began during the 5th Century BCE, followed the Spring and Autumn period and ultimately led to the establishment of the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE.

During the Iron Age pastoral cultures revolutionized the saddle and bridle, allowing such historic cavalry forces as the Scythians, Cimmerians, and Bedouin to arise.

The Phoenician alphabet is considered the first written alphabet, with prior scripts referred to as phonetic or syllabic.

Based in Nineveh, modern northern Iraq, the Assyrians would go on to conquer Egypt, the southwestern Anatolian peninsula , Cyprus, Mesopotamia, western Persia, and most of the eastern Mediterranean. The Neo-Assyrian Empire descended from the Old and Middle Assyrian Empires. The state would collapse around 612 BC, 15 years after the death of popular yet brutal ruler Ashurbanipal.

Sparta was a prominent city-state in the classical period, however it was ruled by a king, so they did not practice democracy. Macedon was a more traditional kingdom in mainland Greece - not a city-state at all - so that would not be a good choice for this question. Corinth and Argos were city-states but they did not invent democracy, so they would not be the best answer here. Finally, Athens is famous for inventing and practicing democracy, so that would be the best choice here.

Plato, while an ancient Greek philosopher of great renown, did not invent the dialectic method, so he would not be the best choice. Aristotle, too, was a prominent Greek philosopher but did not invent the method in question, so he also would not be the best choice. Rene Descartes was a French philosopher and lived many centuries after the time period on question, so he would not be a good answer. Bertrand Russel was a late 19th and early 20th century mathematician and philosopher and he did not invent the method in question, so he would not be the best choice. Finally Socrates, who famously invented the dialectic method, would be the best answer to this question.

Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher but he did not attend the Academy nor did he invent the syllogism, so he would not be the best choice. Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and Stoic and he did not do either of the acts in question, so he too would not be the best choice. John Locke was an English philosopher that lived many centuries after the Academy, so he would not be a good answer here. And Thomas Hobbes similarly lived many centuries after the Academy, and so he also is not a good choice. Lastly, Aristotle both attended the Academy and developed the syllogism, so he would be the best answer to the question.