There were no judges and lawyers at trials in ancient Athens. There was a large jury of 500 or more empanelled; it lasted one day; the prosecutor and defence had equal time; there were no rules of evidence of statements under oath - the jury usually had local knowledge, so blatant lying damaged you case; the jury voted with a yes or no tablet placed in a box; the first vote was for guilty or not guilty; the second vote was for the punishment - each side proposed a punishment - as the jury could only select one or the other, the proposals had to be reasonable or it would be ignored; there were no set punishments - it could be anything - one convicted man proposed paying for a warship for a year, which was attractive to the jury.
The effect of all this was that the large jury was the equivalent of an opinion poll of the citizenry, so trial outcomes reflected the standards an opinion of the whole community, rather than a small segment of legal practitioners and riggable of fallible small juries and set codes of punishment.
No
yes
public debate and voting on legislation, trial by jury, and election of officials by secret ballot
public debate and voting on legislation, trial by jury, and election of officials by secret ballot
No, the juries were usually of 500 people, with no judges or lawyers to interfere. With about 35,000 citizens, it was effectively an opinion poll in today's terms.
No, Socrates did not win his trial. He was found guilty of corrupting the youth and impiety in ancient Athens, and he was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock.
Socrates did not invoke free speech at his trial because the concept as we know it today did not exist in ancient Athens. Instead, he focused on defending his beliefs and principles, refusing to compromise even in the face of death. He believed in the importance of philosophical inquiry and the pursuit of truth, regardless of the consequences.
Socrates' trial demonstrates the limits of freedom of speech and expression in ancient Athens, as he was charged with impiety and corrupting the youth for his philosophical teachings. It also highlights the influence of public opinion and the power of the Athenian democratic system in shaping legal proceedings and outcomes. Overall, the trial of Socrates reveals the complex interplay between individual freedoms and societal norms in the democratic city-state of Athens.
This quote is attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. He said this during his trial for impiety and corrupting the youth in Athens.
Democracy in Athens was a direct democracy. In a direct democracy the people decide on the policy initiatives directly
That' s tricky one. Athens had the most bulletproof judicial system up to date, yet they sentenced Socrates to death. I think I'd pick modern day Canada or Sweden.
Athens. In Sparta, cases were judged by a council of elders, the Gerousia.