It was. But the key thing in Athens Republic was not the sortition itself, but the controls put in place to guarantee that "chosen" representatives were doing

It was. But the key thing in Athens Republic was not the sortition itself, but the controls put in place to guarantee that "chosen" representatives were doing a good job. Being chosen after sortition was not a fun thing, it was a heavy burden to bare. Representatives were held accountable for their decisions. Their private life basically became public to ensure that they would not be bought by "lobbys". A lot of people are usually taken aback by sortition because they think the goal is to randomly pick a dictator. They are still representatives, and with not a lot of power actually. The people in Athens were still voting their laws directly.