Гортина

1. Laws of Gortyn

2. Introduction

Today we will talk about the Laws of Gortyn. These laws are about the structure of the law of Crete
Island in the 5th century BC. It is amazing that laws was founded by Italian archaeologists in 1884 like a
full text. The text was written in a spiral on 12 stone columns.

3. The main areas of regulation

1. Family and inheritance law (the largest part): marriage, divorce, status of women and children,
inheritance of property.
2. Property relations: rights to slaves and livestock, debt obligations, transactions.
3. Criminal offenses: mainly crimes against the person and property, punishments for rape, adultery,
theft were also described.

4. Style and principles

1) Casuistry: laws are formulated as conditions, but they are very specific.
2) Lack of abstractions: there are no general concepts of "murder" or "theft", there are specific
compositions.
3) Clarity and detail: procedures, deadlines, and fines were prescribed, which reduced arbitrariness of
judges.
4) The prevalence of fines over corporal punishment, even for slaves. The death penalty is hardly
mentioned.

5. Hierarchy of society

1) Free citizens are full members of the community. Their status and rights are protected as much as
possible.
2) Free, but not citizens, have limited legal capacity.
3) Slaves are treated as property, but they have some rare rights (they could own small property, marry
free people with special conditions).

6. Women rights

1) Property rights: a woman could own and dispose of property (gifts, inheritance). In the event of a
divorce, her property was returned to her.
2) Inheritance rights: the daughters (even if they had brothers) had a guaranteed share in the inheritance
— half of the son's share. This is unique to the Greek world.
3) Protection: the law regulated cases of rape and adultery in detail, imposing heavy fines in favor of the
injured woman.

7. Meaning and conclusions

1) Historical: the Laws of Gortyna are one of the most extended codes of the time, an invaluable source
for the study of legal technique and social history.
2) Social and Economical: the code shows the Athenian path of development to be more conservative,
agrarian, but with greater legal protection for the family and the individual than other codes.
3) Comparative: Gortyn law demonstrates features of both archaism (collective responsibility, ransoms)
and progress (a system of fines, protection of the weak).

8. Conclusion

In conclusion, the laws of Gortyna are an illustration of society, illustrating its concerns, fears, and values.
They illustrate the desire for a social order based on written law. Studying this code allows us to
understand that ancient legal systems were much more diverse and complex than they seem at first
glance.