Draco << DRAY koh >> was a Greek lawmaker who introduced the first written code of law in ancient Athens in 621 B.C. The code was designed to reduce discontent caused by the unfairness of the Athenian justice system. The system had been based on unwritten laws known only to a few aristocratic judges, who often favored the nobility. By putting laws into writing, Draco’s code enabled people to find out for themselves what the laws were. Draco’s code was said to be “written in blood” because it made almost all crimes punishable by death. Today, the word Draconian means harsh or cruel.
Before introduction of the code, punishment for murder was left to the victim’s family, and bloody feuds were common. The code placed responsibility for upholding the law in the hands of the government. It helped Athens become one of the first city-states—that is, independent political units that consisted of a city and its surrounding territory.
