Draco (lawgiver)
Draco (7th century BC) , also known as Dracon was the first legislator of the city of Athens in Ancient Greece. He wrote laws that were to be enforced only by a court. This constitution replaced the system of oral law and blood feuding that had ruled Athens since the city was founded. Draco's laws were known for being harsh. The word draconian has come to mean unforgiving rules or laws.
Draco created this legal system during the 39th Olympiad, in about 622 or 621 BC. The laws ( - thesmoi) he set formed the first written constitution of Athens. They were displayed in public, so that nobody would be unaware of them. The death penalty was the punishment for most crimes, even minor ones. Plutarch states: "It was a lot for 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."
Not much is known about Draco's life or who he was. The 10th-century Suda text tells a legendary story of his death. He was said to have died on the stage of the theatre in Aegina. In a traditional ancient Greek show of approval, his supporters threw so many hats and pieces of clothing onto his head that he suffocated.
All of Draco's laws, except the law concerning murder, were abolished by Solon in the early 6th century BC.
Related pages
Athenian democracy
References
7th-century BC births
7th-century BC deaths
Ancient Greek politicians
People from Athens