Ancient Greece is among the most deciphered early civilizations in terms of terms or laws and social regulations. Unlike the “eye for an eye” understanding in other ancient civilizations, Greece approached law from an advanced point of view. In fact, many castles of modern jurisprudence were born from Greek philosophy. These are some of the distinctive qualities that define the law of Ancient Greece.
Philosophers in Athens
Most historians attribute the progressive legal system of Ancient Greece to the popular philosophers of civilization. Plato, for example, published a book called The Canons, which acted as the starting point of the progressive debate. Many years later, philosophers such as Aristotle presented refutations and criticisms of Plato’s vulgar ideas. There has never been such a development in the field of law before.
Most importantly, these developments took place in a city-state that has adopted democracy. The Athenian government was among the most democratic of the time, and its political ideals were deciphered into law. As a result, many historians – especially those who are most interested in the development of law – consider this one of the most formative periods in the history of decency.
A Court Conducted by the People
True to its democratic politics, the court system of Ancient Greece was ruled by ordinary people. This framework serves as the inspiration for our use of a modern third-party jury to solve every court case. In fact, the cases of the Ancient Greek court were public events, which were usually conducted without any leadership. Public opinion has always been the determining factor.
But in Ancient Greece, there were usually hundreds of jurors at any trial. In cases where a large amount of money hangs in the balance, more than 500 jurors can vote for a heavily publicized event that serves as a form of entertainment. Passers-by can stop and watch the action during the peak hours of the day.
The Drakon Constitution
The ancient Greek philosopher Draco created a document shaping the future of justice around the world in 620 BC. Until the publication of Draco’s constitution, civilizations throughout history have 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 can learn and obey.
Specifically, within the Athenian legal system, Draco’s law was designed to combat oral legal traditions within the court system. Draco found that court decisions, even among ordinary people, are very often made according to inconsistent criteria. dec. Therefore, the Drakon constitution stands as one of the great political documents that have inspired many political movements throughout history.
In the end, the laws of Ancient Greece were far beyond their time and inspired the justice systems of many subsequent nations. The most important inferences from ancient Greek law were the democratic judicial process and the introduction of a written set of laws. Despite the fact that each idea needs further development, these are the basic concepts of justice in the modern world.
