At the beginning of Athens, there were no set of laws or rules. They would generally have the injured person injure the one who injured them. For example, if someone was murdered, the family members of the one killed got to kill the one who killed him. Fate was often left up to those in charge, during the time of an oligarchy.
In 632 BC, a Greek statesman named Draco created the first written laws of Greek. The laws were so harsh that it is believed that they were written in blood. Before that, in Athens, a jury of around 200 people, all men, decided the fate of criminals. Imprisonment back then was not considered punishment, so, punishments like fines, right to vote taken away, exile or death were imposed upon criminals. Most of Draco’s punishments
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He completely changed the laws as set by Draco except for the punishment of exile for homicide.Other than this Solon made laws which included punishment for physical harm like murder, rape, etc. Punishment for such crimes was exile or fine. Punishment for theft was returning the stolen property and paying a fine of double the value.
Solon was a reluctant law-maker. The story of Solon must be pieced together from Greek historians, especially Plutarch and Aristotle. Herodotus wrote some 200 years after Solon’s death; Plutarch, 600. Modern historians – at the understandable altar of hi-tech standards and multiple cross-referencing - are highly suspicious of the accuracy of these historical sources. Nevertheless, Solon’s laws provided a basis for Western laws. Though his laws only lasted for a short period of time, they helped the economy, constitution, and morality of Athens. Solon was born into a noble family in 638 B.C. He was a merchant by profession and a poet. In 594 BC, he was elected as a Governor of Athens. Then, the society of Athens was facing an economic and moral depression due to an agricultural crisis. Farmers could not repay their debts to the wealthy landowners and in return, they were sold as slaves, including their wives and
Then came Solon, mostly known for trying to remain “neutral” during his years as a law giver. Knowing that men are hard to please, Solon, throughout his reform, attempts to remain just. The first and foremost thing Solon did was cancel all debts. During his period of time, he al...
At first glance, the picture of justice found in the Oresteia appears very different from that found in Heraclitus. And indeed, at the surface level there are a number of things which are distinctly un-Heraclitean. However, I believe that a close reading reveals more similarities than differences; and that there is a deep undercurrent of the Heraclitean world view running throughout the trilogy. In order to demonstrate this, I will first describe those ways in which the views of justice in Aeschylus' Oresteia and in Heraclitus appear dissimilar. Then I will examine how these dissimilarities are problematized by other information in the Oresteia; information which expresses views of justice very akin to Heraclitus. Of course, how similar or dissimilar they are will depend not only on one's reading of the Oresteia, but also on how one interprets Heraclitus. Therefore, when I identify a way in which justice in the Oresteia seems different from that in Heraclitus, I will also identify the interpretation of Heraclitus with which I am contrasting it. Defending my interpretation of Heraclitean justice as such is beyond the scope of this essay. However I will always refer to the particular fragments on which I am basing my interpretation, and I think that the views I will attribute to him are fairly non-controversial. It will be my contention that, after a thorough examination of both the apparent discrepancies and the similarities, the nature of justice portrayed in the Oresteia will appear more deeply Heraclitean than otherwise. I will not argue, however, that there are therefore no differences at all between Aeschylus and Heraclitus on the issue of justice. Clearly there are some real ones and I will point out any differences which I feel remain despite the many deep similarities.
The ‘Law Code of Gortyn’ was a legal code regulating civil life in the ancient Greek city-state of Gortyn (southern Crete). The code was inscribed during
Justice is generally thought to be part of one system; equally affecting all involved. We define justice as being fair or reasonable. The complications fall into the mix when an act of heroism occurs or morals are written or when fear becomes to great a force. These complications lead to the division of justice onto levels. In Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Plato’s Republic and Apology, both Plato and Aeschylus examine the views of justice and the morality of the justice system on two levels: in the city-state and the individual. However, Plato examines the justice system from the perfect society and Aeschylus starts at the curse on the House of Atreus and the blood spilled within the family of Agamemnon.
Many believe the notion of equality and justice are very much intertwined. Through the ways in which Lycurgus and Solon reform their city to resolve social inequalities, the notion of equality and justice is discerned, which is to say equality is universal whereas justice depends on the parameters of the society. Lycurgus led his reforms so that everyone equally advances as a public duty. As opposed to Lycurgus, Solon led his reforms so that every person had a fair chance at advancement and participation in government built on merit and wealth. Lycurgus and Solon both modified their city through political, social, and economic reformations to alleviate social injustice.
The code of Hammurabi, Draco, and Diocletian was similar in terms of the cruelty of punishments. They were all punished for minor offences and the poor people did not have a lot of rights. Their codes were based on harsh punishments in order to limit the number of crimes committed in Athens. These codes mostly benefited the rich who could read and understand what the code meant. Solon on the other hand was relatively a generous leader who was fair to all classes. He got hid of cruel punishments for minor offences, he only used the previous codes for homicide crimes. He freed the poor people from debt and slavery that never happened until his reign. He was concerned with social equality and also he wanted the poor people of Athens to live their life without any obligations to the rich unlike the other three rulers.
Athena’s choice to bring in a set of impartial jurors due to her own bias—“No mother gave me birth. I honor the male, in all things but marriage.” (264, line 750)—is reflective of the judicial facet of civil government; moreover, John Locke states that an established judicial body is “bound to dispense justice, and decide the rights of the subject” by “known authorized judges” (Locke 71, XI.136). Athena’s introduction of a jury is the first demonstration of a civil government system. This progression can be seen as the transition of power from the old gods—who favor the rules of the state of nature—to the new gods, who prefer an organized structure of executed authority. Though Athena’s passage of a jury is a development towards modern democracy, the contrast between the gods manifests further when Athena states that, “I cannot set more store by the woman’s death—she killed her husband, guardian of their house. Even if the vote is equal, Orestes wins” (264, line 754). Upon this statement of hers, the Furies question whether her decision will be just or not; ultimately, the Furies threat to release anarchy on all should she choose the wrong resolution. “I, robbed of my birthright, suffering, great with wrath, I loose my poison over the soil, aieee! - poison to match my grief comes pouring out of my heart, cursing the land to burn it sterile”: in just these few
Herodotus references Athenian democratic ideology throughout his work, sometimes directly but other times through the words and happenings of his historical figures.When Herodotus talks about the Persian political debate he discusses a man named Ota...
The Athenian government was a democratic government, which means it was ruled by the people to vote and have a voice in society. The democracy was slowly formed by leaders Solon and Cleisthenes. Solon took over when Athens was in political turmoil. He introduced new reforms to forgive debts, outlaw new loans, free people that
that it is because of the gods that things are as they seem to be. "Do you
Along with the irrational means of conviction came harsh punishments that ignored the degree to which they matched the crime. In the Justinian code of Roman law there is an excellent example of the amplification of sentencing that declares “anyone who composes a libellous song to the injury of another” or some other form of publically ridiculing another would be banished to “an island by the authority of a Decree of the Senate”. This declaration is representative of most sentences of ancient codes of laws and further into history, although many verdict...
Draco, Solon, Peisistratus, and Cleisthenes were all very important Greek reformers from 750-500 B.C. Cleisthenes was the reformer with the most important points and adjustments. He was known as the “Father of Democracy” and his reforms helped to make Athens a happy and efficient place to live. He adjusted the government structure to adjust to changing times. The council of 400 was made into into a council of 500 with 10 tribes. Cleisthenes catered to all classes and made sure to include both a rich and poor region into each tribe’s boundaries. His reforms to government also included the creation of a assembly, much like congress, that became the main governing body of Athens and dealt with day to day affairs. Anybody could serve in the assembly
Athenians Desperation gave Solon special authority to revise their laws. The first thing of Solon was to set all enslaved Athenians free and to relieve them from their debts. This made him very popular among the people but he refused to redistribute property or to deprive the aristocracy of most of the political power. Although some of the laws enacted by Solon were not popular, but many of them were kept or further adjusted later. He said “For to the common people I gave as much power as is sufficient, Neither robbing them of dignity, nor giving them too much; and those who had power, and were marvelously rich ,even for those I contrived that they suffered no harm. I stood with a mighty shield in front of both classes, and allowed neither of them to prevail unjustly.” Also, as he had understood that farming couldn't get people enough for living, he envisioned to make Athens a powerful trade centre and to have Athenian ships traverse the Aegean and the Mediterranean Sea. He prohibited exporting any other product than olive oil and he gave benefits for foreign tradesmen to settle in Athens. This was he set the foundation for the economic growth of Athens, which would also grant the city its cultural development and military power .To deal with the economic crisis and its dire social consequences that had brought their society to the brink of internecine war. His radical efforts he made both political and economic reforms to the Athenian law code that fitted
The march towards developing a democratic society is often obstructed with societal unrest due to the influence of the status quo on the instruments of power. Before the rule of Solon, Athens underwent this same rule, as there was much discontent among the social classes in Athens. The society suffered financial disparity that often was the trigger for the war among the rich and poor in the society. This was a major factor that forced Solon into power to institute policies that would see a reformed Athens. By so doing, the society was looking for an avenue that would guarantee democracy and a society that is fair for everyone. The city-state of Athens was the epicenter of the revolution for the Athenian democracy during the fifth century BC. In the Athenian democracy, the electorate voted for the legislation of bills instead of a direct democracy where the electorates are tasked with electing representatives who later developed the bill. Among the first people who made significant contributions to the development of the Athenian democracy were Solon (594 BC), Cleisthenes (508/7 BC), Pericles (495 – 429 BC) and Ephialtes (462 BC). Pericles was the longest serving democratic leader who contributed much development in democracy in the city. This paper will give an account of the age of the Pericles.
The Areopagus was the ruling body of Athens in pre-classical times, which consisted of a council of aristocratic Athenian elders who had previously held the position of Archon. In 594 BCE, Solon made the first reformations to the Areopagus by changing the way Archons were appointed, limiting their term and abolishing all debts (Blackwell, “The Council of the Areopagus”). His reformations freed many from