Draco

~ 621 BC

THE MARKETPLACE OF ATHENS,BUHLMANN

Draco was an Athenian statesman who first wrote down the laws of Athens, but made them very harsh. Draco did not actually create most of the laws, but only wrote them down so that judges would apply the laws consistently. Draco's laws were very harsh, and prescribed the death penalty even for minor offences. Draco's laws also allowed debtors to be sold into slavery. Draco's laws were superseded by the laws of Solon, several decades later.

Key events during the life of Draco:

Year	Event
621 BC	Wrote down the laws of Athens.

Other Resources

Story Links	Book Links
Bloody Laws of Draco  in	The Story of the Greeks  by  H. A. Guerber
Draco and Solon  in	Famous Men of Greece  by  John H. Haaren and A. B. Poland
Cylon Fails to Make Himself Tyrant  in	The Story of Greece  by  Mary Macgregor
The Great Lawgivers  in	Stories of the Ancient Greeks  by  Charles D. Shaw
Early Days of Athens: The Laws of Solon  in	The Story of the Greek People  by  Eva March Tappan

Contemporary	Short Biography
Megacles	One of the early members of the Alcmaeonidae family. Opposed the tyrant Cylon.
Cylon	Tried to make himself tyrant, but was stopped by Megacles.