Episode 93 - The Greek Arbitrator
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Episode 93 - The Greek Arbitrator
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About this listen
While the Athenians were famously litigious, they also recognized that a formal public trial was not always the best way to resolve a dispute. For many private conflicts, they turned to arbitration. Arbitration was a less formal, less costly, and often faster way to find a just resolution, and it was a deeply embedded part of the Athenian legal culture.
This episode explores the ancient practice of arbitration. We distinguish between private arbitration, where the two parties would agree on a trusted individual to be their judge, and public arbitration, a mandatory first step for most private lawsuits in 4th-century Athens. We examine the duties of the public arbitrators—citizens over the age of 59—who would hear the evidence and propose a settlement. If either party rejected the arbitrator's decision, the case would then proceed to a jury trial.
Arbitration was a crucial element of the Athenian justice system, helping to filter out cases and encourage peaceful settlement. It shows a legal culture that, for all its love of courtroom drama, also valued compromise and mediation. It was a pragmatic recognition that not every dispute required a massive public spectacle.