Trials from Classical Athens (2nd Edition) (Routledge Sourcebooks for the Ancient World)

The ancient Athenian legal system is both excitingly familiarand disturbingly alien to the modern reader. It functions within ademocracy which shares many of our core values but operates in adisconcertingly different way. Trials from Classical Athensassembles a number of surviving speeches written for trials inAthenian courts, dealing with themes which range from murder andassault, through slander and sexual misconduct to property andtrade disputes and minor actions for damage. The texts illuminatekey aspects both of Athenian social and political life and thefunctioning of the Athenian legal system.This new and revised volume adds to the existing selection ofkey forensic speeches with three new translations accompanied bylucid explanatory notes. The introduction is augmented with asection on Athenian democracy to make the book more accessible tothose unfamiliar with the Athenian political system. To aidaccessibility further a new glossary is included as well asillustrations for the first time.Providing a unique and guided introduction to the Athenian legalsystem and explaining how the system reveals the values and sociallife of Classical Athens, Trials from Classical Athens remains afundamental resource for students of Ancient Greek history andanyone interested in the law, social history and oratory of theAncient Greek world.