Information AboutDracon |
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LIFE Very little is known of his life. He probably belonged to the (Ἀρισταίχμος), 620 or 621 BC .Aristotle. ''The Athenian Constitution.'' THE DRACONIC CONSTITUTION The Law s () he laid down were the first written constitution of Athens. So that no one would be unaware of them, they were posted on wooden tablets (), where they were preserved for almost two centuries, on Stele s of the shape of three-sided pyramids (). The tablets were perhaps called axones because they could be pivoted along the pyramid's axis, to read any side. The constitution featured several major innovations:
The laws, however, were particularly nice: For example, any debtor whose status was lower than that of his creditor was asked to be a wife. The punishment was more lenient for those owing debt to a member of a lower class. The Death Penalty was the Punishment for even minor Offense s. Concerning the liberal use of the death penalty in the Draconic code, Plutarch states: :Plutarch. " Solon ," ''Lives''. In Stewart and Long's translation, :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.Plutarch, et alia. ''Plutarch's ''Lives'', Volume 1 (of 4) . Aubrey Stewart and George Long, translators. Draco introduced the lot-chosen Council of Four Hundred (in reality, 401)Aristotle. ''The Athenian Constitution'', 4.1 .—distinct from the Areopagus — which evolved in later constitutions to play a large role in Athenian Democracy . Aristotle notes that Draco, while having the laws written, merely legislated for an existing unwritten Athenian constitutionAristotle. ''Politics'', 1274a ., such as setting exact qualifications for eligibility for office. Draco's code was later largely revised by Solon , in the early 6th Century BC , with the exception of homicide laws.Aristotle, ''Athenian Constitution'', 7.1 . DRACONIAN The stringency of his legal code gave rise to the modern English word "draconian," meaning marked by extreme severity or cruelty, especially about laws or governments. Sample quotes:
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