Democratic Law in Classical Athens

About this book

"Provides an overall examination of Athenian law while focusing on neglected areas of study when the Athenian system differed from the familiar Roman or modern Western laws. Gagarin explains how these features worked and how the Athenian legal system was thus able to achieve outcomes that were fair and consistent with the actual laws of the city; he looks at, among other things, pre-trial negotiations, which could include the controversial torture of slaves; the performative nature of speaking before a jury that could consist of hundreds of jurors and the importance of adjusting one's rhetoric based on audience reactions; and the notions of justice and public benefit in arguing cases"--