Draco (lawgiver)

Draco
Δράκων
Born	Before 620 BC
Occupation	Legislator
Known for	Draconian constitution
Successor	Solon

Draco (/ˈdreɪkoʊ/; ‹See Tfd›Greek: Δράκων, translit. Drakōn, fl. c. 625 – c. 600 BC), also called Drako or Drakon, according to Athenian tradition, was the first legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece. He replaced the system of oral law and blood feud by the Draconian constitution, a written code to be enforced only by a court of law. His laws were supposed to have been very harsh, establishing the death penalty for most offenses. Tradition held that all of his laws were repealed by Solon, save for those on homicide. An inscription from 409/8 BC contains part of the current law and refers to it as "the law of Draco about homicide". Nothing is known about the specifics of other laws established by Draco.

According to some scholars, Draco may have been a fictional figure, entirely or in part. Biographical information about him is almost entirely lacking; he was held to have established his legal code in the year 621/620 BC. Since the 19th century, the adjective draconian (Greek: δρακόντειος, drakónteios) refers to similarly unforgiving rules or laws in Greek, English, and other European languages.