Draco
Draco
Flourished Seventh Century b.c.e
Athenian lawgiver
The Code . Draco was responsible for creating a new set of laws in Athens around 621 b.c.e. These statutes were probably the first comprehensive written code of laws in the city. Draco prescribed death for both trivial and serious crimes, hence the word draconian is used today to describe repressive legal measures. Around 594 b.c.e. the archon Solon repealed all Draco’s statutes except those relating to homicide. These murder laws were publicly inscribed in 409-408 b.c.e. and are partly extant.
Source
Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth, eds., The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 1996).
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Draco
