In the early 2000s, the code was hung in a conference room next to the museum, where, unfortunately, wall movements, temperature fluctuations, and relative humidity made the 100+-year-old casts unstable and could no longer remain on the wall in their current location. This discovery of the state of decomposition of the casts coincides, rightly, with the renovation of the conference room. When removing the code, we found that at least three different assembly methods have been used to hang the code throughout its history: wooden splitting rods, metal rods inserted into the back of castings, and drill holes to hang screws in walls. The Code covers issues such as disputed ownership of slaves, rape and adultery, the rights of a divorced woman or widow, custody of children born after divorce, inheritance, sale and pledging of property, ransom, children of mixed marriages (slaves, free and foreigners) and adoption. [8] The Code makes a legal distinction between different social classes. Free men, serfs, slaves and foreigners are recognized in the document. Gortyn`s law is not the only example of legal inscription in Crete. They have also been discovered at a number of other Cretan sites, including Dreros and Prinias. The inscriptions of Dreros are also ancient, probably from the seventh century BC, based on an analysis of the shape of the letters.

But these other inscriptions tend to be short, while the Gortyn Code of Law is very extensive, though incomplete. The text of the Great Code of Gortyn was inscribed around the middle of the fifth century BC. But many scholars believe that the text, or at least parts of it, somehow reflect conditions from an earlier age. Gagarin writes about Gortyn`s law in his ancient Greek law (p. 96): As far as inscriptions are concerned, the so-called “Great Code” of Gortyn is in the foreground. Gortyn is an ancient city of Crete; The archaeological site is vast and includes the remains of a large early Christian church. The Code of Law is engraved on a circular wall of the ancient upheaval of Gortyn, where the Council of Citizens – the Ball – met which was located on the Agora of the city. The civil inscription or “code” of Gortyn was discovered. The Code is the most extensive monument of Greek law before the Hellenistic period. Later excavations revealed most of the plans and public buildings of the Roman city, which was the administrative capital of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica. The code is saved for a certain period of time. There it will be kept, cleaned, removed wooden rods and, in some cases, make extensive repairs.

Finally, new custom frames will be produced before being exhibited again in the future. Rape under the Code is punishable by fines. The fine is largely determined by the difference in social status between the victim and the accused. A free man convicted of raping a serf or slave would receive the lowest fine; A slave convicted of raping a free man or woman would justify the highest fine. In the Greek tradition, Crete was an early home of law. In the 19th century, a code of law from Gortyn in Crete was discovered, dealing entirely with family relations and inheritance; less complete with tools, something with goods outside family relationships; something too, with contracts; But it does not contain criminal law or procedure. This inscription (still visible) is the largest extant document of Greek law (see above for its accidental survival), but from other fragments we can conclude that this inscription formed only a small fraction of a large code. The use of parts of the inscription in the watermill was not the first time that the Code of Justice was misplaced. Over the course of its long history, the Code has survived many upheavals. Initially, it seems that the code was installed in the walls of a circular building – perhaps a bouleuterion (town hall) or courtyard – that stood on one side of the agora in the Archaic and Hellenistic period. After the destruction of the last of these buildings, its place was taken by the Roman Odeon, which dates back to the 3rd century AD, and the code has been preserved within its walls.

It is now in a specially built vaulted gallery within the walls of the Odeon. Even today, seen behind iron bars, it offers a magnificent spectacle. The codex is organized into twelve columns of text inscribed on four rows of large rectangular blocks. Archaeologists believe that another layer of stone and other pillars may well have been part of the code, so what we have now is not complete. Written in Doric dialect with an archaic Cretan alphabet of 18 letters, it is boustrophédon – or “like ox ploughs” – with lines written from right to left on one line and from left to right on the next out of a total of 600 lines. The Code pays great attention to the allocation and management of real property. Although the husband manages most of the family property, the wife`s property is always demarcated. When the wife dies, the husband becomes the trustee of her property and cannot take any action without the consent of his children. In the event of remarriage, the property of the first wife immediately passes into the possession of her children. If the woman dies childless, her property reverts to her blood relatives.

Adultery is punished in the same way as rape under the code, but also takes into account the scene of the crime. The code provides for higher fines for adultery committed in the household of the woman`s father, husband or brother, as opposed to any other place. The fines also depend on whether the woman has already committed adultery. Fines are imposed on the man involved in the adultery, not the woman. The Code does not provide for sanctions against women. Although the appearance of the huge inscription is striking, it is the content that is truly remarkable. Although we celebrate the artistic, architectural and literary heritage of the ancient Greeks, we can think less often about the evolution of the laws that governed some of their societies. The codex dates from around 480 to 450 BC. J.-C. and offers a unique example and a fascinating insight into the world of the city at that time.

It is sometimes argued that the Code does not correspond to our current idea of a legal code because it does not constitute a complete legal system. Nevertheless, the Code provides for the regulation of various matters, including divorce, inheritance, debt collection, adoption, rape and adultery. Some scholars claim that laws from an earlier era were incorporated into the code, as well as those who modified or added them. Whatever its composition, the Code shows that by the time the law was drafted, it had become an integral part of the order and functioning of society. Many of its provisions appear liberal and reflect an impressive concern for fairness. Cretan archaeologist Adonis S Vasilakis notes that the cities of Crete were among the first in Greece to codify their laws, which served as a model for others and earned the respect of the famous philosophers Plato and Aristotle. Although this code was written around 450, it probably contains a lot of material that had already been inscribed elsewhere and can therefore be used to shed light on the archaic legislation of Gortyn. The Gortyn Act grants women a minimum level of property rights in the event of divorce. Divorced women are entitled to all the property they have brought in the marriage and to half of the joint income if it comes from their property. The code also provides for a portion of the household`s assets.

The law stipulates that all children conceived before divorce but born after divorce are in the custody of the father. If the father does not accept the child, it reverts to the mother. A rich mix of ruins welcomes the visitor to Gortyn, one of the most extensive archaeological sites on the island of Crete. Many date back to Roman times, while others date back to earlier periods of the city`s impressive long life. At the center of the ruins of the ancient city is its most famous vestige: the Gortyn Code of Law. Carved from pale blocks of ashlar, it is one of the largest Greek inscriptions ever found. However, this is not the only claim of distinction, as the Code, often known today as the Great Code, Great Inscription or Queen of Inscriptions, is also among the most comprehensive legal texts of the ancient European world.