Atene e oltre. Saggi sul diritto dei Greci

The book is divided into four parts: Grecia e Roma; Il diritto ateniese e la logografia; Il diritto ateniese e la speculazione politica; Il diritto oltre Atene. The first part includes three essays. In Coscienza nomica e scienza giuridica: un confronto tra il modello ‘autoritativo’ ateniese e il modello ‘anarchico’ romano, Pelloso, arguing that there is no need to see law as the creation of the state, rejects Gernet’s division between ‘prédroit’ and ‘droit’, as well as Gagarin’s tripartite model. Moreover, he recognizes a fundamental difference between νόμος, lex and ius. In Diritti greci e scienza giuridica romana, Garofalo offers a broad comparison of the legal systems of the Greek πόλεις (which never achieved unity, were more empirical and aimed at protecting popular sovereignty and equality) and the Roman legal system (which covered an entire empire and gained scientific status). In Il dolo tra Grecia e Roma, Lambrini observes that in archaic poetry δόλος, like the Latin dolus, might be positive or negative, a tool of μῆτις or harmful deceit. In the post-Homeric period, δόλος is contrasted with πειθώ and might lead to the ‘nullification’ of a contract. The second part starts with Flessibilità processuale e regime solonico del furto. A margine di Dem. 22.26-27 e Dem. 24.113-114: here Pelloso criticizes the view that the Athenian legal system contained several different procedures for each substantive offense. In his controversial essay entitled Riflessioni sull’utilizzo dei νόμοι in Lys. 1, Falcon examines the laws about sexual violence and seduction and attempts to place them in their social context. In La disciplina ateniese della prostituzione maschile: considerazioni su Aesch. 1, Milani studies the laws that prevented male prostitutes from serving as magistrates or making proposals in the Assembly. The third part consists of two contributions. In Giustizia correttiva e rapporti sinallagmatici tra dottrina etica e declinazioni positive, Pelloso compares Aristotle’s analysis of ‘voluntary obligations’ (coming into existence through a transfer of possession) with the Athenian contracts (likely coming into existence when there is willing agreement between the parties). In Per un ‘ritorno’ al diritto costituzionale ateniese. Le vicende del 413-410 a.C.: colpi di stato o trasformazioni legali?, Scevola argues that the appointment of πρόβουλοι did not lead to any major change in the Athenian Constitution and that transition from democracy to the rule of the Four Hundred was orderly and legitimate. Four essays constitute the last part. In Fase istruttoria e modalità di giudizio nella prima colonna del ‘codice’ di Gortina, Pelloso first draws a contrast between some Gortynian procedures and the Athenian δίκη ἀφαιρέσεως. He then focuses on the distinction between δικάδδεν and κρίνεν, arguing that the decision on oath was a more recent innovation, and that, as a rule, only the claimant was required to present witnesses. In Sulla polisinodalità delle costituzioni beotiche. Osservazioni su ‘Ath. Pol.’ 30 e P. Oxy. 5.842, coll. XI-XII, Scevola focuses on possible parallels between the Constitution of the Boeotian Confederacy and the so-called Constitution for the Future. In La natura giuridica dell’atto di affrancamento nel mondo greco, Zanovello traces the origins of the procedure of freeing slaves to the Homeric period. She then turns to manumission by sale to a god in Hellenistic Delphi. Finally, she examines the Athenian evidence. In Il φαρμακός: considerazioni su un istituto panellenico, Padovan reviews the evidence for the violent rituals of purifying a community. She examines the status of the φαρμακός, its relationship with fertility and the alleged connection with ostracism and with the homo sacer. Edward M. Harris