Great Lawgivers:                                                                                                back to Greece

  l. Draco: (c. 600 B.C.)

  - Gave Athens her first code, the penalties were so harsh that the word DRACONIC is still used today in our
     English language and means "harsh".

  - One feature of Draco's code was to establish the authority of courts by saying that disputes could no longer
     be solved through the old family feud-

  - Draco extended the vote to a few people other than nobles and gave a few others a chance to hold public
    office with some power.

  - Draco's contribution to a beginning democracy was to give definite laws which applied to all citizens,
    whether noble or common.

 2. Solon: (died in 558 B.C.)

  - This man has a great reputation in history as a wise lawgiver.

  - He was from the highest nobility himself, of great wealth, but he was able to see that revolution would
    occur if the rich did not make some concessions to help the poor.  He was able to persuade the rich to make  
    the necessary compromises and thus avoid the revolution.

Economic Reforms

  - Though he was early in historical time, he made some very up-to-date moves.

       (a)  one time only he cancelled all existing debts, cleared all the poor debts and mortgages, giving
             them a chance for a fresh start .

       (b)  he freed all people who had been enslaved for debt

       (c)  he devalued the money to make a paying back of long term debts easier

       (d)  he started a graduated income tax by which high wage earners paid a higher percentage than those who
             could least afford to pay

Social and Political Reforms

       (a)  he freed all those who had been jailed or banished for political offences or disagreements

       (b)  rich and poor were made subject to all the same rules

       (c)  he set up a council of 400 to which all the four traditional divisions of Athenian society could select
             100 members from all classess of citizens.

       (d)  all citizens were invited to take part in the debate of the ECCLESIA an assembly which elected the
              rulers or executive.

       (e)  all classes were included to serve on juries

       (f)   he tried to stimulate trade and commerce by (one time only) extending citizenship to skilled foreigners

       (g)  he limited agriculture to the growing of olives and grapes, because the soil of Attica was not good for other
             crops

  3. Cleisthenes:

  - Like Solon, he let skilled foreigners become citizens.

  - He let each social group name a leader; these became the Ten Generals who had most of the power of ruling
    Athens.       

  - He set up a council of 501, selected by lot, whose job it was to make the laws.

  - He started the process of Ostracism, by which, once each year in the assembly, all citizens could write on a broken
    piece of pottery the name of any person they considered dangerous to Athens. A person who got too many votes
    could be exiled for ten years from Athens.

  - Few citizens were ever "ostracized" but it may have helped to keep them in line. (What does Ostracism mean in
    English today?)