Biography: Dracon | Athenian Lawgiver. He wrote a famous code by its severity (621 BC).

(End of the century VII BC) Athenian Lawgiver. He wrote a famous code by its severity (621 BC). Draconian laws imposed the authority of the State in judicial matters and reduced the power of the family clans.

In the archaic age, the right of the Greek cities was customary, i.e., based on the Customs and traditions. A dispute occurs, the Justice took body in the form of judgements handed down by the characters most characteristic of the aristocratic families, people clearly away from the majority interest. However, at the end of the 7th century BC, the customary law already could not give solutions to the new problems posed by the complexity of social and economic relations.

Hence that, as a result of riots and more or less bloody clashes, opened step all over the Greek world the need for codification of legal rules ripped out the ruling class, and numerous Greek cities, in their attempt to overcome the social tensions arising from inequalities, appealed to lawmakers. He was carried out by a number of people that enjoyed general confidence the task register in writing the law and make it public.

The lawmaker Solon repealed draconian laws

That same circumstance was exploited to promote a reform of the law and the legal regime, directed to avoid the impositions of the previous customary law which allow the ideal of Justice of the lawmaker and his contemporaries. The new constitutions sought to tackle the most immediate causes of tensions, for example, debt slavery, and regulate economic and social reality of the time.

According to testimony of Aristotle, the post of Archon or tesmoteta was instituted in Athens in the year 683 BC. In issue six, the testometas function was sign and make public laws. All we know of Dracon is that it was one of these testometas, and, since its laws date back to the year 621 BC, was the first of the Athenian legislators, nor your code more ancient, although both his figure as its legislation are the oldest that are known within the Greek law.

Expression draconian laws applies still today to those regulations excessively severe and sanguinary punishments. Hostile tradition back, so were the laws of Dracon: a code written with blood instead of ink, punishing misdemeanours with the death penalty, although such laws could not be very away from the customary practice of the time, and, in any case, benefiting the people insofar as they limited the judicial power of the nobility and their consequent arbitrariness.

Along with other reforms, should be attributed to Dracon the law of homicide, that decriminalizing the manslaughter and attempted to put an end to traditional family blood revenge, by submitting such cases to the administration of Justice. If the Athenians strictly associated with this legislator with crimes of blood, it was probably because some of its measures were still in force in classical times. The most famous Athenian lawmaker Solon, repealed in the year 594 BC draconian laws, keeping indeed only the laws relating to the killing and deploying a wide legislation reaching the economic, political and social order.

Extracted from the website: Biografías y Vidas