DRACONIAN IN A SENTENCE CODE
DRACONIAN IN A SENTENCE FREE

DRACONIAN IN A SENTENCE FREE

Aristotle notes that Draco, while having the laws written, merely legislated for an existing unwritten Athenian constitution such as setting exact qualifications for eligibility for office.Дraco extended the franchise to all free men who could furnish themselves with a set of military equipment. Council of Four Hundred Дraco introduced the lot-chosen Council of Four Hundred, distinct from the Areopagus, which evolved in later constitutions to play a large role in Athenian democracy. One possible translation offers, 'Even if a man not intentionally kills another, he is exiled'. In 409 BC, intentional homicide was punished by death, but Draco's law begins, 'ОєО±бЅ¶ бјђбЅ°Ој ОјбЅІ вЂОє ПЃОїОЅОїОЇП‚ П„Оµ', which is ambiguous and difficult to translate. It is not clear whether Draco's law specified the punishment for intentional homicide.

According to the preserved part of the inscription, unintentional homicides received a sentence of exile. The homicide law is a highly fragmented inscription, but states that it is up to the victim's relatives to prosecute a killer. Homicide law ДЄfter much debate, the Athenians decided to revise the laws, including the homicide law, in 409 BC. ДЄll his laws were repealed by Solon in the early 6th century BC, with the exception of the homicide law. Concerning the liberal use of the death penalty in the Draconic code, Plutarch states: 'It is said that Drakon himself, when asked why he had fixed the punishment of death for most offences, answered that he considered these lesser crimes to deserve it, and he had no greater punishment for more important ones'. The death penalty was the punishment for even minor offences, such as stealing a cabbage. The punishment was more lenient for those owing a debt to a member of a lower class. For example, any debtor whose status was lower than that of his creditor was forced into slavery. The laws distinguish between murder and involuntary homicide.( Aristotle: Athenian Constitution, Part 5, Section 41)

DRACONIAN IN A SENTENCE CODE

Instead of oral laws known to a special class, arbitrarily applied and interpreted, all laws were written, thus being made known to all literate citizens (who could appeal to the Areopagus for injustices): 'the constitution formed under Draco, when the first code of laws was drawn up'.

The constitution featured several major innovations: The tablets were called axones, perhaps because they could be pivoted along the pyramid's axis to read any side. So that no one would be unaware of them, they were posted on wooden tablets ( бј„ОѕОїОЅОµП‚ вЂ“ axones), where they were preserved for almost two centuries on steles of the shape of four-sided pyramids ( ОєПЌПЃОІОµО№П‚ вЂ“ kyrbeis).

The laws ( ОёОµПѓОјОїОЇ вЂ“ thesmoi) that he laid were the first written constitution of Athens.

Draconian in a sentence