Law Code of Draco

Name: Law Code of Draco
Start: -621

Type Event Region Europe Time -621

Around 621 BCE, amid intensifying conflict between aristocrats and commoners, Athenian archon Draco promulgated a written law code, codifying customa…

Timeline

-621Athens · AtticaAristocrats and commoners clashed repeatedly over debt, land, and judicial power; customary law lacked uniform standards, and the polis urgently needed a public written code to regulate social order.
-621Athens · AtticaThe Law Code of Draco inscribed and published its legal provisions, establishing the principles of public trial and written judgment; its penalties were extremely harsh, and later ages used 'Draconian laws' as a byword for severe punishment.

Sources

Athenaion Politeia (Constitution of the Athenians) — Aristotle (attrib.) https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0046
The Oxford Classical Dictionary — Simon Hornblower, Antony Spawforth (eds.) (2012)