Trial by Jury in Ancient Greece and Rome

The ancient Greeks and Romans invented trial by jury. But their trials were much different than those in modern societies, including our own. The extant speeches tell us a great deal about Greek and Roman culture and society. We will do several things: consider the strengths and weaknesses of this system; examine the notions of relevance in the legal system; and investigate the values, attitudes, and beliefs that the speeches reveal. We will also appraise the strengths and weakness of the arguments and debate which side the jury would have decided in favor of. This will include occasional reenactments of the speeches that we will be reading.