Sacred aspects of legal proceedings in Athens of the classical period

Tarasova Liubov

The article deals with the interaction of profane and religious aspects of the life of the Greek Polis in the classical period on the example of the activities of the courts and the legal proceedings in Athens. The author dwells on the sacred functions of the oldest forensic magistracy and collegiums of the Athenian Polis: archons (basileus, polemarch and eponym), Areopagus and ephetai. In the procedural practice of the judicial process, special attention is paid to elements that have a sacred meaning for the Hellenes: the draw, the taking of oaths, the dokimasia, and the choice of places for the adoption of judicial decisions. The author comes to the conclusion about the continuous close connection between religion and civil practice in the organization of the court and the legal proceedings in Athens of the classical period.

Keywords:Ancient Greece, Athens, the Areopagus, archons, ephetai, jurisprudence, religion.