Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Athens
- Cambridge Companions to the Ancient World
- The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Athens
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Athens: An Introduction
- 1 #Leagros: An Athenian Life
- Part I The Urban Fabric
- Part II Inhabitants
- Part III Business/Commerce
- Part IV Culture and Sport
- Part V Politics
- 27 Associations
- 28 Rule of Law and Lawcourts
- 29 Armed Forces
- Reception
- Index
- References
28 - Rule of Law and Lawcourts
from Part V - Politics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 March 2021
- The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Athens
- Cambridge Companions to the Ancient World
- The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Athens
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Athens: An Introduction
- 1 #Leagros: An Athenian Life
- Part I The Urban Fabric
- Part II Inhabitants
- Part III Business/Commerce
- Part IV Culture and Sport
- Part V Politics
- 27 Associations
- 28 Rule of Law and Lawcourts
- 29 Armed Forces
- Reception
- Index
- References
Summary
The Athenians believed in the importance of the rule of law and implemented this ideal through their legal procedures. The courts of Athens were based on the principles of equality before the law, fairness in procedure, no punishment without law, and the accountability of officials.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Athens , pp. 392 - 404Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021
References
Further Reading
The major sources for Athenian law are the Constitution of the Athenians and the Attic orators; see especially Canevaro 2013. On democracy and the rule of law, see Harris 2006 and 2013. For a detailed treatment of Athenian legal procedure, see Harrison 1971, although some of the details are out of date. MacDowell 1978 is a basic introduction to Athenian law and legal procedure. For a review of recent scholarship on ancient Greek law, see Harris 2018.
Bibliography
Additional resources to accompany this chapter can be found at: www.cambridge.org/NeilsRogers