BBC news uses the word "draconian" to describe new law code proposed in an African country. We all have a general understanding of the term meaning a harsh penal code. But I have been unable to get a clear picture of why Draco's code was considered excessively harsh. I like the word "Eupatridae" '''.

The hereditary kingship of Athens was abolished in 683 BC by the nobles, or Eupatridae, who ruled Athens until the mid-6th century BC. The Eupatridae retained complete authority by their supreme power to dispense justice, often in an arbitrary fashion. In 621 BC the statesman Draco codified and published the Athenian law, thereby limiting the judiciary power of the nobles. A second major blow to the hereditary power of the Eupatridae was the code of the Athenian statesman and legislator Solon in 594 BC, which reformed the Draconian code and gave citizenship to the lower classes.

"Greece," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Who can tell us what specifically was excessively harsh in Draco's code?