Knights were fined two drachmas, and zeugites one drachma. If the absent member was from the pentacosiomedimnus class, they were fined three drachmas. Ĭouncil or Assembly members who were absent from a meeting were fined, with the fines proportionate to social class. The Assembly was another Athenian magistracy which was described in detail by Aristotle. In Aristotle's Constitution of the Athenians, the Council was vaguely characterized as a magistracy. The Council was another concept Draco introduced to Athenian government in his constitution. Įlection to political positions in Athens was based on sortition except for the Areopagus, which consisted of retired archons.
No one could be elected by lot more than once to serve on the Council until the Council "cast the lot afresh": again included every eligible individual for the next Council when everyone had served a turn. Four hundred and one Council members were chosen from hoplites at least 30 years of age. The Athenian strategoi (generals) and hipparkoi (cavalry commanders) were chosen from those holding unencumbered property worth at least 100 minas with offspring over 10 years of age who were born in wedlock. Hoplites with debt-free property valued at ten minas or more could serve as an eponymous archon or a Treasurer. To hold higher positions, property was required. Hoplites were able to participate in political life they could vote and hold minor state official positions. These legends have become part of the English language, with the adjective "draconian" referring to unusually harsh punishment. There may have been only one penalty, execution, for all convicted violators of the Draconian constitution and the laws were said to be written in blood instead of ink.
DRACONIAN CONSTITUTION FULL
Īnd Draco himself, they say, being asked why he made death the penalty for most offences, replied that in his opinion the lesser ones deserved it, and for the greater ones no heavier penalty could be found.Īlthough the full Draconian constitution no longer exists, severe punishments were reportedly meted out to those convicted of offenses as minor as stealing an apple. The homicide laws were the only laws retained by the early-6th-century BC Solonian Constitution. Since murder cases were tried by the state, feuds as a form of justice became illegal. As a result, the Draconian constitution was accessible to the literate.ĭraco introduced the concepts of intentional and unintentional homicide, with both crimes adjudicated at the Areopagus. To promulgate the new constitution, its text was inscribed on displaying devices. They authorized Draco, an aristocratic legislator, to construct the written constitution, and he began to write the text around 621 BC. To minimize the incidence of these feuds, the governing aristocratic families of Athens decided to abandon their concealed system of legal proposals and amendments and promulgate them to Athenian society in writing. This triggered feuds by families ignorant of the law in an attempt to obtain justice. The aristocratic exploitation of this system began during the mid-seventh century BC, and laws were often amended to benefit the aristocracy.
The need for written laws began with the unequal access to legal knowledge of the aristocracy as compared with the general populace the established laws of Athens were inefficiently formulated in the spoken language and often modified and re-evaluated. 4.3 Relationships among Athenian officials.This enactment of a rule of law was an early manifestation of Athenian democracy.
DRACONIAN CONSTITUTION CODE
The literate could read the code at a central location accessible to anyone. Around 621 BC the people of Athens commissioned Draco to devise a written law code and constitution, giving him the title of the first legislator of Athens. As most societies in Greece codified basic law during the mid-seventh century BC, Athenian oral law was manipulated by the aristocracy until the emergence of Draco's code. It was written in response to the unjust interpretation and modification of oral law by Athenian aristocrats. Enforced by Draco near the end of the 7th century BC. The Draconian constitution, or Draco's code law code, idea started around 620BC and began being written around 621BC. To resolve unequal accessibility to the acquirement of legal knowledge of oral law by replacing such with a written constitution Draco, the creator of the conceptualization and formulation of the Draconian constitution