Draco, The Original Lawman
Raphael/Ancient Origins
During the seventh century B.C., Athens was a place where the rich and powerful controlled the law of the land — which was quite easy to do because no laws were really “on the books,” per se. Thus if you were poor, you couldn’t count on being treated fairly by the court, because the court could more or less make up the rules as it went along.
One man, however, proposed changing things, and his proposition was, well, draconian.
Draco, the Lawgiver — the first recorded legislator in Athens, circa 620 B.C. — insisted on a written code that could only be enforced by a court of law, such that people (i.e. the wealthy) couldn’t make rules up on the fly anymore. Draco’s laws were pretty strict — hence the term “draconian,” which we still use when describing something relentlessly rigid today.
Historians don’t know much more about Draco’s life. His death, however, is a different story.
Just before he died circa 600 B.C., Draco was giving a speech to his supporters (and there were many; as you can imagine, the poor were eager to be on a more level playing field when it came to law and order) in a theater.
Wikimedia Commons
In Ancient Greece, it was tradition to toss your hats, coats, and cloaks onto the person who was speaking in order to show your appreciation. Draco was, apparently, more popular and well-loved than anyone had anticipated. So many articles of clothing were heaped upon him that he wound up suffocating.
That’s right — the most hard-ass lawgiver in the ancient world was smothered by the unrelenting love of his adoring fans. Of all the embarrassing celebrity deaths in history, there are few people who died in a way that so directly contradicted what they represented in life.
