Ancient Athens Judicial System

Through tracing the historical evolution of judicial systems in Classical Athens, inspecting Athenian jury court and its composition and operation, I attempt to investigate the function of judicial systems in maintaining and consolidating Athenian democracy.Political reform of Theseus established the rudiment for the political systems of Athens in the8th century B.C. The original jurisdiction was exerted mostly by six archons, they were constitutors and vindicators of the law. After Solon set up the Jury Court, Ephialtes extended the right of the Jury Court to the middle of the5th century B.C. Pericles constituted the allowance for the jury for the first time, which provided the economic assurance for the civilian to attend the Jury Court. Consequently, it also perfected and consolidated the democracy.Jury Court was the most important judicial organ in Athens. From choosing the jurors to announcing outcome, the whole course combined the forced regulation of the jurors'quantity and the soft chance of the court distribution, and combined the procedure publicity and the poll secret. Consequently, it achieved the aims of equality and equity Athens pursued. Two thousand years later, when we re-examinated the Athenian'jury court, we still applaud the research and the thinking of the ancients.Besides hearing some cases, jury court of the Athens examined the Athenian law through the Graphe Paranomon, and supervised the all Athenian officials through the Dokimasia and the Euthynai. Consequently, it ensured the running of the Athenian democracy.Because of its particular internal spirit, judicial systems of Athens produced the far-reaching influence to the later ages. But, as the product of the direct democracy, it inevitably had some deficiencies. It hinted that we should inherit the legend of the ancients critically.