Calliope articles from October 2008

Calliope archives from October 2008

Greek it is!
October 1, 2008... In legal documents, the Greek letter D, pronounced delta, is sometimes used as an abbreviation for "defendant." So, what is the Greek letter for "prosecutor?" You guessed it! The Greek letter P, pronounced pi, is not just a handy number...

5 nifty courtroom facts.
October 1, 2008... 1 BAILIFF keeps order and enforces rules during a trial. 2 CLERK sits at a desk near the judge, assists judge with research and drafting of decisions of the court, and administers the oath of affirmation to jurors and witnesses. 3...

Judging right and wrong in Athens.(MUSINGS)
October 1, 2008... While the laws of a nation mirror its citizens' values, no law is perfect. When time proves a law is ineffective, biased, or ambiguous, a new or revised one is passed. This process is healthy, rewarding, and continuous. As a result, most laws...

On trial in Athens.
October 1, 2008... Athenian courts were simple, open-air structures with long lines of benches for the jurors; a podium for the presiding magistrate; a platform for the defendant, prosecutor, and speakers; an altar for the initial sacrifice to the gods; and a few...

The dreaded ostraca.
October 1, 2008... Athenian democracy was a direct democracy in that the citizens themselves met in assembly and voted on laws. Still, there were always citizens who had more influence than others. So, to prevent any one person from becoming too powerful, the...

The arbitration.(Play)
October 1, 2008... CHARACTERS SMICRINES rich, but frugal, old citizen of Athens, father of Pamphilia, father-in-law of Charisius CHAERESTRATUS friend and neighbor of Charisius SIMMIAS friend of Chaerestratus and Charisius SYRISCUS...

Condemned to death.
October 1, 2008... All Athens was astir. The year was 399 B.C., and three Athenian citizens--Anytus, Meletus, and Lycon--had given the appropriate Greek magistrate charges against a fellow citizen, the philosopher Socrates: Socrates does not recognize the gods of...

There's No-a business like STOA business.(ACTIVITY)
October 1, 2008... The stoa in ancient Athens was a popular hangout for traders, entertainers, philosophers, and many more. A long, colonnaded building, it was often used by Socrates as a classroom. Follow the directions below, then customize it any way you like....

Deadly jails.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In ancient Greece and Rome, imprisonment was not the usual penalty for a crime. Oftentimes, when someone was charged with a crime, he was allowed to stay in his home until judgment on the case had been given. If an...

Law courts, Roman-style.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As in Athens, those who practiced the legal profession in Rome did not earn wages. Defendants were expected to plead their own cases, and prosecutors to prove their accusations. The Roman people, however, soon...

The laws in Rome.
October 1, 2008... The earliest Roman law code dates to the fifth century B.C. and was known as the Twelve Tables. It was recorded on bronze, or perhaps wooden, tablets and set in the Roman Forum. Even after a revised and more comprehensive law code was completed...

Fun with words.
October 1, 2008... WORD ORIGINS JUSTICE This word tumbled through a few different languages before landing in our vocabulary. It began with the Latin justus ("upright") and the closely related justitia ("righteousness"). The French used it next, changing the...

The master lawyer.(Marcus Tullius Cicero)
October 1, 2008... The Roman orator and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero achieved a goal coveted by many Romans--a career embracing law and politics. Even in Cicero's day, students of public speaking studied his speeches, and schoolchildren memorized sections of...

Jail escape.(ACTIVITY)
October 1, 2008... WHO'S WHO? There once were three lawyers named Mark, Angelo, and Spencer. Here's what we know about them: * Mark never lies * Angelo always lies * Spencer sometimes lies Based on their statements below, see if you can...

A weighty problem.(ACTIVITY)
October 1, 2008... Proteus and Polyphemus are preparing for their court case and need to know how many obols (a type of Greek coin) are in the sack. Proteus finds that 8 DRAHCMAS weight the same as 1 STATER and 3 OBOLS combined. Polyphemus finds that 6 OBOLS...

What's right on the high seas.
October 1, 2008... The Mediterranean Sea was a major trade route for the many civilizations bordering its waters. Ships sailed from coast to coast, transporting a great variety of goods, including grain, wine, olive oil, precious woods, marble slabs, bronze and...

Beyond the borders.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The world of Greece and Rome lasted more than 2,000 years, with the Roman Empire ending in A.D. 476 in the west and A.D.1453 in the east. During that time, many aspects of Roman life and culture changed. The republic...

The Trojan War: A New History.(BOOKS)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Trojan War: A New History by Barry Strauss (Simon & Schuster, 2007, www.simonsays.com) is a fresh look at a familiar story. Based on an examination of new archaeological evidence, it sheds light on the war that...

The Greco-Persian Wars.(BOOKS)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2008... The Greco-Persian Wars by Peter Green (University of California Press, 1998, www.ucpress.edu) is another take on the historic, dramatic battles between ancient Greece and Persia. This is an action-packed retelling of the turmoil between the two...

Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy.(BOOKS)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2008... Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy by Don Kagan (Simon & Schuster, 1998, www.simonsays.com) looks at the earliest forms of democracy and the man who guided Athens into a prosperous golden age. Like any Greek hero, though, he has his...

Resources.(OFF THE SHELF)('Athenian Democracy', 'Trials from Classical Athens' )(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2008... The following materials are excellent for the parent, teacher, or young scholar who would like to dig a little deeper into the subject of Greek and Roman taw. Athenian Democracy by A.H.M. Jones (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1986,...

On the net.
October 1, 2008... An interesting resource site, it allows you to ink to Greek and Roman topics related to law and government: www.constitution.org/grlatlib.htm This site is all text, but does offer a good insight into the laws following the move of the...

Ask Calliope.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [?] Which was first, Thermopylae or Troy? --Grace, Web post [!] Troy! While there is no exact date for the Trojan War, as it happened before written records, historians believe there was a great war between...

From our readers.
October 1, 2008... Check out the winning entries in CALLIOPE's "Maps of the Future" contest (CALLIOPE November 2007). Maybe you will be using one of them soon! Samantha Peters (1st place) I think the old maps could be improved by making virtual maps that...

Roman law today.(FROM PAST TO PRESENT)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Romans celebrated April 21, 753 B.C., as the birthday of Rome, their capital city. For the next 1,000 years, Rome and its armies extended their control across vast stretches of land that bordered the...

Pierson v. post.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The use of precedents, previously decided cases, was not common in Roman courts. Each argument, dispute, or accusation was considered and fought on its own merits. If a Roman legal representative were transported to...

Then and now.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THEN: Fate hangs in the balance here, as the messenger gad Hermes (left, with the winged hat) and the god of prophecy Apollo weigh the fates of the superheroes Achilles and Memnon. As the Trojan War between the...