Classical Studies 2301A/B Lecture 6: Lecture 6: Athens and Draco's Homicide Law

• School: Western University
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: Classical Studies 2301A/B
• Professor: Randall Pogorzelski

Document Summary

Lysias 1 shows how criminal law worked in athens; how lawyers characterized criminals. After cephalus (father) dies, lysias and polemarchus (brother) went to thurii in southern italy. Peloponnesian war (431-404 bce) between athens and sparta broke out; 415 bce athe(cid:374)s i(cid:374)(cid:448)aded i(cid:272)il(cid:455), a(cid:374)d l(cid:455)sias a(cid:374)d pole(cid:373)a(cid:396)(cid:272)hus (cid:449)e(cid:396)e e(cid:454)iled as (cid:858)athe(cid:374)ia(cid:374) s(cid:455)(cid:373)pathize(cid:396)s(cid:859) so the(cid:455) moved back to athens. 404 bce athens surrendered to sparta, ending the war; sparta imposes counsel of ruling men as a government for athens (the 30 tyrants: they executed polemarchus; lysias escaped and joined democratic resistance. 403 bce resistance successfully overthrows the tyrants, and re-establishes democracy in athens; lysias given citizenship in his role in the resistance, but it was annulled as unconstitutional. Lysias made a living as a speechwriter (logographer) with ~34 surviving speeches. Author lysias; born in athens mid 5th century not an athenian citizen, but a metic, or resident alien.