3. Putting the Draco in Draconian
Ancient Athens’ Draco the Lawgiver (flourished 7th century BC) was tasked with creating a legal system to replace a private justice system, in which rights were enforced by citizens and their relatives. Draco wrote down Athens’ laws, and published them. That reduced the pitfalls of traditional oral laws that were known to only a select few, and were arbitrarily interpreted and applied. It was a huge step towards equality under the law, but Draco made the laws insanely severe, and highly favorable to creditors and the propertied classes.
Defaulting debtors were liable to be sold into slavery, and those guilty of petty property crimes, such as stealing a cabbage, were liable to the death penalty. When asked why he legislated death for most offenses, Draco replied that he considered petty crimes worthy of death, and he could not think of a greater penalty for the greater offenses. The term “draconian” is named after him.
