Greek Law

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Greek Law

Greek law evolved as a necessary means by which to regulate society's behavior. What had up until then been left up to the whims of each individual to handle on his or her own was now a product of fair and sensible legal procedure. It can be argued that there was a great need for such a show of order in that there existed little or no conformity when it came to retribution. As Greek law continued to be established, it also became a fundamental part of other areas of life, branching out into political and social implications. In essence, the implementation of Greek law was instrumental in determining that the legal process only takes on its full meaning in a broadly political context (Foxhall).
I. SUMERIAN INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPT OF LAW
Prior to the Sumerians introduction of the concept of law, the Greeks followed no organizational legal system whatsoever. The ancient Greek population was much more abundant than the Sumerian population. They had large plots of land essentially keeping people separated from one another, there was no real need for the establishment of laws. As the population grew, so did the need for legal regulation. The Sumerians were frightfully aware of the fact that the primary manner by which people were handling their legal disputes was by method of killing. They determined that this was no longer an acceptable behavior for what was to be considered a civilized society of people. Inevitably, the Sumerian ended up with four legal principles:
1. Lex Talions
2. Mediation
3. Legal Inequality
4. Conjunction of Murder and Accidental Death
What was established as the first recognized law came from the fact that revenge played a big role in society's unruliness. As it stood, a person who killed as a means by which to solve a legal dispute was immediately exiled. Secondly, the Sumerians saw the merit of asking advice from those wiser than the average man, and so it was implemented that an arbitrator would be sought out in times of disagreement. However, this person was not an agency of the state. This method of intervention proved to be quite beneficial for the Greeks. The Greeks were not bound by any law to follow the wise man's advice but did so out of logic, common sense, and at times-- respect. For the Greeks, law was what separated men from animals (and from women) and was the basis of civilization (Burt).
II. EGYPTIAN RESPONSE
Egypt, like all the other ancient civilizations, created law in the image of its own beliefs and n...

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