James W. (1oldhistorian) reviewed The Murder of Herodes: And Other Trials from Athenian Law Courts on + 2 more book reviews
This book is an outstanding resource and just a fun read.
The book is a collection of speeches, with a couple of introductory chapters, from trials from Athenian courts in the Classical era. Each speech was given by either the defendant or the prosecutor. In no instance does the other side's speech exist, nor is the outcome of the trial known. The speeches are presented by categories of trial: Murder, Violence, Property, Civil Status, Sacrilege, Marriage, and Slander.
I got this book as a source for possible documents to use in an online Western Civilization course I teach. I thought the speeches might be useful but was surprised and delighted by the book as a package. The individual speeches can be found and downloaded free from various online sources. However, the introductory chapters -- Legal Code and Procedure, and Rhetoric and the Orators -- provide invaluable lenses through which to see both the structure and the contents of the speeches. An example of the fringe benefits is what may be the best and most detailed description of a typical Athenian's house. That comes as a defendant explains how living arrangements let the man he was accused of murdering carry on an affair with his wife literally right beneath him. Another trial, in which a man defended himself against a charge of attempted murder in a conflict over the affections of a boy, gives insights into Classical Greek attitudes toward homosexuality, as well as into relations between Athenian citizens and non-citizens. Each speech, thus, casts important sidelights well beyond the scope of the specific issues in the trial.
In short, this is a real treasure!
The book is a collection of speeches, with a couple of introductory chapters, from trials from Athenian courts in the Classical era. Each speech was given by either the defendant or the prosecutor. In no instance does the other side's speech exist, nor is the outcome of the trial known. The speeches are presented by categories of trial: Murder, Violence, Property, Civil Status, Sacrilege, Marriage, and Slander.
I got this book as a source for possible documents to use in an online Western Civilization course I teach. I thought the speeches might be useful but was surprised and delighted by the book as a package. The individual speeches can be found and downloaded free from various online sources. However, the introductory chapters -- Legal Code and Procedure, and Rhetoric and the Orators -- provide invaluable lenses through which to see both the structure and the contents of the speeches. An example of the fringe benefits is what may be the best and most detailed description of a typical Athenian's house. That comes as a defendant explains how living arrangements let the man he was accused of murdering carry on an affair with his wife literally right beneath him. Another trial, in which a man defended himself against a charge of attempted murder in a conflict over the affections of a boy, gives insights into Classical Greek attitudes toward homosexuality, as well as into relations between Athenian citizens and non-citizens. Each speech, thus, casts important sidelights well beyond the scope of the specific issues in the trial.
In short, this is a real treasure!
