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Help read Lysias 1, \"On the Killing of Eratosthenes,\" written by the Athenian

ID: 385869 • Letter: H

Question

Help

read Lysias 1, "On the Killing of Eratosthenes," written by the Athenian speech-writer Lysias, in defense of Euphiletos, sometime in the late 400s or early 300s BC. Euphiletos is on trial for killing a man called Eratosthenes, so his situation is quite dire. Please read Euphiletos' defense speech ("On the Murder of Eratosthenes"), How does Euphiletos present his own character? How does he present the character of Eratosthenes? What does Euphiletos tell the jury about his wife and his family? What does this tell us, historians, about families and households in Classical Athens? What does the Athenian adultery law state? Why is adultery such a serious offense in Athenian law? What does this speech teach us about the value of citizenship in Classical Athens? What is the role of a good citizen? What is the place of women and slaves in Athenian society? If you were on the jury trying Euphiletos, what would be your verdict in this case? Oo

Explanation / Answer

Question 3

The Athenian law regarded adultery to be more heinous than rape. This is because adultery involves sleeping with a person who is legally married to another individual with the full knowledge of what is going on. On the other hand, the right to kill was enshrined in the Greek law and not only in Athens but also in other cities across Greece. On the same note, adultery is not protected by the Greek law and is therefore punishable by financial penalty. The law permits a person t kill another man if he finds him sleeping with his wife, sister, daughter, mother, or even a concubine.

Question 5

The Athenian society defines the family as a wider unit by naming female members of a man’s household. The law also recognized of family and family life by putting a commitment to protect women together with their families. Women were also excluded from demes since they never participated in politics and war. The Athenian law formally gave recognition to Athenian-born women to be citizens in their own right, and therefore had their role in continuation of the citizen body.