Law and Order in Ancient Athens

Erscheinungsjahr 2017
ISBN: 978-0-521-19880-6
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 240 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 546 g

The classical Athenian 'state' had almost no formal coercive apparatus to ensure order or compliance with law: there was no professional police force or public prosecutor, and nearly every step in the legal process depended on private initiative. And yet Athens was a remarkably peaceful and well-ordered society by both ancient and contemporary standards. Why? Law and Order in Ancient Athens draws on contemporary legal scholarship to explore how order was maintained in Athens. Lanni argues that law and formal legal institutions played a greater role in maintaining order than is generally acknowledged. The legal system did encourage compliance with law, but not through the familiar deterrence mechanism of imposing sanctions for violating statutes. Lanni shows how formal institutions facilitated the operation of informal social control in a society that was too large and diverse to be characterized as a 'face-to-face community' or 'close-knit group'.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lanni, Adriaan

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Ethik, Moralphilosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein Rechtsgeschichte, Recht der Antike
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Geschichte der klassischen Antike
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I: 1. Informal social control and its limits; 2. Law enforcement and its limits; Part II: 3. The expressive effect of statutes; 4. Enforcing norms in court; 5. Court argument and the shaping of norms; 6. Transitional justice in Athens: law, courts, norms; Conclusion; Bibliography.

Über Autor(innen)

Lanni, Adriaan
Adriaan Lanni is a Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, where she teaches courses in ancient law and modern American criminal law and procedure. She trained as both a lawyer and an ancient historian, receiving a JD from Yale Law School, an MPhil in Classics from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in History from the University of Michigan. Her previous book is Law and Justice in the Courts of Classical Athens (Cambridge, 2006).