The Draconian Laws & A Very 'Greek' Tragedy

If you read the headlines, it seems the Greeks have been compelled to adopt 'Draconian' fiscal laws.

That's the severe economic measures being imposed upon the birthplace of Western civilization by a Eurozone that will only be satisfied with the harshest of economic cut-backs.

Its the ongoing tragedy [Greek of course] that is the Euro financial crisis . That much everyone knows ... .

However, its not for the first time that the Greek people have been the subject of such harsh legislative imposition .... that's for sure!

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The Draconian Laws

Indeed, the emperor is reminded - from a hazy back-bedroom of his classical memory - that it was of course Greece - classical Athens to be precise - that first saw the imposition of the original Draconian Laws. And they were no 'walk in the park', let me tell you ...

[Draco of Athens - the 7th Century B.C. Athenian law giver]

Instituted by the man himself, Draco was a protogenic law giver of the 620's BC, who's name became synonymous with a code of harsh and unbending law. Indeed so severe was the imposition of Draco's law code, that most of it was later repealed by his more enlightened, civic successor:

"He [Solon] repealed the laws because of their harshness and the excessively heavy penalties that they carried; the only exceptions were the laws relating to homicide. Under the Draconian code almost any type of offence was liable to the death penalty, so that even those convicted of idleness were executed, and those who stole fruit and vegetables suffered the same punishment as those who committed sacrilege or murder. This is the reason why, in later times Demades became famous for his remark that Draco's code was written not in ink but in blood. Draco himself, when he was once asked why he decreed the death penalty for the great majority of offences, replied that he considered the minor ones deserved it, and so for the major ones no heavier punishment was left."

[Plutarch, Life of Solon,  I.17]

Well, its a kind of logic you have to admit.

Anybody reasonable can only hope that the current fiscal impositions being imposed upon Greece are sustainable and that it will not be too long before a modern day Solon, once more emerges  ....