CMS150 - Winter 2001

Trials of Conscience: Litigation

and the Rhetoric of Identity

 

The Constitution of Athens during the Archaic Age	tyranny	Solon and his reforms	The democratic Constitution of Athens
sophist	Alcibiades	Profanation of the Mysteries	Mutiliation of the Hermes
Sicilian Expedition	Oligarchic revolution of 411	The Thirty Tyrants	liturgy
Plato	Xenophon	Meletus	Anytus
asebia	atimia	Socratic irony	elenchus
Critias	Trial of the Generals of the Arginusae	Leon of Salamis	King Archon
Heliaia	Delphi	Pre-Socratics	The Constitution of Sparta
Helots	Ephors	Thorobus	Xenophon
Hermogenes, the son of Hipponicus	ideology of modern law	normative expectations of a jury	Athenian democratic legal ideology
game of honor	feud	agonistic social practices	philotimia
Suetionius	Cassius Dio	Livy	Cicero
populares	optimates	tribune of plebs	senatus consultum ultimum
Lucius Appuleius Saturninus	maiestas	perduellio	duumviri
contio/contiones	ambitus	sicarius	veneficius
parricidum	judical murder	judging paradigms	Labienus
Rabirius

Possible essay questions:

• Should the jury have condemned Socrates? Why or why not?
• Why did the jury condemn Socrates?
• What does Cohen believe was the purpose of the Athenian trial? Does his analysis explain Socrates' trial? Why or why not.
• Would Cohen's argument also explain the Roman trial (or at least the trial of Rabirius)? How can Cohen supplement Riggsby?
• What difficulties and advantages do the sources for the trial of Socrates offer modern scholars?
• Should the jury have condemned Rabirius? Why or why not?
• What does Riggsby believe was the purpose of the Roman trial? Does his analysis explain the trial of Rabirius? Why or why not?
• Would Riggsby's argument also explain the Greek trial (or at least the trial of Socrates)? How can Riggsby supplement Cohen?
• What difficulties and advantages do the sources for the trial of Rabirius offer modern scholars?

 note: you will have to write one essay on Greek material (either on Socrates' trial or Cohen) and one essay on Roman material (either on the trial of Rabirius or Riggsby).