Law And Mythology In Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is among the most misunderstood early civilizations in terms of terms or laws and social regulations. Unlike the “eye for an eye” mentality of other ancient civilizations, Greece approached law from a progressive perspective. In fact, many strongholds of modern law grew out of Greek philosophy. These are some of the distinctive qualities that define Ancient Greek law.
Philosophers in Athens
Most historians attribute the progressive legal system of Ancient Greece to the civilization’s popular philosophers. Plato, for example, published a book called the Laws, which acted as a starting point for progressive debate. Years later, philosophers such as Aristotle offered rebuttals and critiques of Plato’s crude ideas. Never before had there been such a development in the field of law.
Most importantly, these developments took place in a city-state that had embraced democracy. The Athenian government was among the most democratic of the time and its political ideals seeped into the law. As a result, many historians – especially those most interested in the development of law – consider this to be among the most formative periods in the history of justice.
A Court Run by the People
True to its democratic politics, Ancient Greece’s court system was run by ordinary people. This framework serves as the inspiration for our modern use of a third-party jury to resolve every court case. In fact, Ancient Greek court cases were often public events conducted without any leadership. Public opinion has always been the decisive factor.
But in Ancient Greece, there were often hundreds of jurors present at any given trial. In cases where large sums of money hung in the balance, more than 500 jurors could vote for a heavily publicized event that served as a form of entertainment. Passers-by can stop and watch the action during peak hours of the day.
Drakon Constitution
In 620 BC, the ancient Greek philosopher Draco created a document that shaped the future of justice worldwide. Until the publication of Draco’s constitution, civilizations throughout history created regulations on a case-by-case basis. There was little consistency in the law and the ruling class abused its judicial power. Draco’s code introduced the first known written laws that every citizen could learn and obey.
Specifically, within the Athenian legal system, Draco’s code was designed to combat oral legal traditions within the court system. Draco found that even among ordinary people, court decisions were too often made according to inconsistent criteria. For this reason, the Draconian constitution stands as one of the great political documents that inspired many political movements throughout history.
In the end, the laws of Ancient Greece were far ahead of their time and inspired the justice systems of many nations that followed. The most important takeaways from Ancient Greek law were the democratic judicial process and the introduction of a written set of laws. These are fundamental concepts of justice in the modern world, although each idea needs further development.
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