(Source: University of Texas Press)
University of Texas Press has
published a new book on law in classical Athens.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The democratic legal system
created by the Athenians was completely controlled by ordinary citizens, with
no judges, lawyers, or jurists involved. It placed great importance on the
litigants’ rhetorical performances. Did this make it nothing more than a
rhetorical contest judged by largely uneducated citizens that had nothing to do
with law, a criticism that some, including Plato, have made?
Michael Gagarin argues to the
contrary, contending that the Athenians both controlled litigants’ performances
and incorporated many other unusual features into their legal system, including
rules for interrogating slaves and swearing an oath. The Athenians, Gagarin
shows, adhered to the law as they understood it, which was a set of principles
more flexible than our current understanding allows. The Athenians also
insisted that their legal system serve the ends of justice and benefit the city
and its people. In this way, the law ultimately satisfied most Athenians and
probably produced just results as often as modern legal systems do.
Comprehensive and wide-ranging, Democratic Law in Classical Athens offers
a new perspective for viewing a legal system that was democratic in a way only
the Athenians could achieve.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Gagarin is the James R.
Dougherty, Jr. Centennial Professor of Classics Emeritus at the University of
Texas at Austin. His books include, most recently, The Laws of Ancient
Crete, c. 650–400 BCE (with Paula Perlman).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. Democracy
Chapter 2. Performance
Chapter 3. Negotiation
Chapter 4. Rhetoric
Chapter 5. Rules and Relevance
Chapter 6. Justice
Chapter 7. Public Interest
Chapter 8. The Rule of Law
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index Locorum
General Index
More info here
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