Solon's Athens

A History of Mankind (81)

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In Athens, tensions between Cylon-style populists who would support a tyranny and merchants leaning towards oligarchy led to the appointment of a man named Draco – of whom little is known, other than, like so many prominent Athenians, he died in exile – to draw a written, Babylonian-style legal code that would replace customary law and aristocratic blood feuds like those triggered by the Cylon Affair.

The Draconian Laws of 612 BC were placed in the center of Athens, where everybody could read them, and were Babylonian-style harsh: as blood feuds became illegal, the concepts of unintentional and intentional homicide were introduced, but also severe punishments for minor transgressions such as theft; even though the full text of the law is lost, it’s possible that the death penalty was applied in most cases.

While Draconian punishments were quickly phased out, key concepts of the Draconian laws were maintained in future Athenian political arrangements, including the creation of a council of former hoplites where all free men could seat[1], in a rotatory manner, and the introduction of sortition – the use of lots for the election to political positions, except for the Areopagus[2] made up of retired magistrates.