Crime and Punishment of Ancient Rome and Greece

Trailer

Before forensic science, before police detectives, how was justice truly served? Or was it merely the will of the powerful?
Welcome to Crime and Punishment of Ancient Rome and Greece—the new podcast that puts history on trial.
Embark on a 100-episode journey into the turbulent streets, corrupt senates, and dramatic courtrooms of the ancient world. We'll investigate everything from the philosophical crimes of Socrates and the political assassinations of Caesars to the back-alley brawls, banditry, and brazen thefts that plagued the everyday citizen.
Each week, we'll uncover the ingenious laws, the brutal punishments, and the epic legal battles that shaped two of the most influential civilizations in history. These aren't just ancient stories; they are the very bedrock of our modern concepts of law, order, and justice.
Listen to the official trailer now to hear what's coming, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. The first verdict drops soon.

Episode 1 - The Man Who Wrote in Blood

Welcome to the violent world of pre-legal Athens, a society governed not by law, but by the brutal cycle of the blood feud. Here, an offense against one was an offense against a whole family, demanding vengeance in an endless chain of retribution. This episode sets the stage for the city’s desperate need for a new system of justice.
In the 7th century BCE, a lawmaker named Draco was tasked with stopping the chaos by writing down the laws for the first time. The codes he inscribed were shockingly severe, where even petty theft could be punishable by death, giving us the modern term ‘draconian.’ We explore the specifics of his code, particularly its most lasting innovation: the distinction between intentional and unintentional homicide. This was a radical concept that shifted the focus from the act itself to the intent of the perpetrator.
Though his laws were mostly replaced, Draco’s homicide court endured for centuries, a testament to his monumental achievement. By replacing private vengeance with state-sanctioned trials, he dragged Athens out of the cycle of vendetta. He established the foundational principle that justice, however harsh, belongs to the state and not the individual.

Episode 2 - The Law of the Twelve Tables

In the early Roman Republic, justice was a mystery, its rules unwritten and known only to the elite patrician class. This created a volatile power imbalance, leaving the common plebeians feeling powerless and subject to arbitrary judgments. Mounting social tension and the threat of secession forced the patricians to a historic compromise: the law would be written down for all to see.
This episode investigates the creation of the legendary Twelve Tables, the bedrock of Roman law. We discuss the commission of ten men, the Decemviri, who drafted the code and had it inscribed on bronze tablets in the Roman Forum. The laws covered everything from property disputes and debt bondage to the penalty for casting a magic spell on crops. We delve into specific and often brutal statutes, including the infamous principle of talio—an eye for an eye.
The Twelve Tables were more than just a set of rules; they were a revolutionary symbol of legal equality. They established the precedent that all citizens, patrician and plebeian alike, were subject to the same legal framework. This document became the first subject that Roman schoolboys had to memorize, cementing its role as the source of all public and private law for centuries to come.

Episode 3 - The People vs. Socrates

Athens in 399 BCE was a city gripped by paranoia, still recovering from a humiliating military defeat and a period of brutal tyranny. In this tense atmosphere, the philosopher Socrates, who had spent his life questioning authority and tradition, made for an easy scapegoat. He was brought to trial on two shocking charges: impiety and corrupting the youth.
We place you in the jury box for one of history’s most famous trials. Guided by the accounts of Plato and Xenophon, we dissect the prosecution's arguments and Socrates’ defiant, unconventional defense. He didn't plead for his life but instead lectured the jury, arguing that his philosophical mission was a divine service to the state. We explore the legal and social context of the charges, revealing how they were rooted in political anxieties as much as genuine religious concern.
Ultimately, a jury of 501 Athenian citizens voted to convict him, and he was sentenced to death by hemlock. This episode analyzes the controversial verdict, questioning whether Socrates was a martyr for free speech or a casualty of his own hubris. His trial remains a defining and troubling moment in the history of democracy, law, and philosophy.

Episode 4 - Rome's Most Wanted: The Trial of Verres

The late Roman Republic was a world of unchecked ambition, where provincial governors often ruled as kings, extorting vast fortunes with impunity. No man better exemplified this systemic corruption than Gaius Verres, the governor of Sicily. For three years, he plundered the island’s wealth, stealing priceless art, crucifying Roman citizens, and perverting every legal process for his own gain.
This episode follows the brilliant prosecution led by a young, ambitious lawyer named Marcus Tullius Cicero. We explore the specific charges of extortion and judicial murder that Cicero masterfully leveled against his powerful opponent. He didn't just argue the law; he waged a campaign of public shaming, using his Verrine Orations to expose Verres's crimes in excruciating detail. We break down the legal strategies and soaring rhetoric that turned a courtroom drama into a public spectacle.
Cicero’s case against Verres was so overwhelmingly powerful that the governor fled into exile before a verdict could even be reached. The trial catapulted Cicero to fame and became a landmark case in the fight against corruption. It serves as a timeless warning about the dangers of unaccountable power and the enduring strength of the rule of law.

Episode 5 - Ostracism: The Democratic Exile

Imagine a form of justice with no crime, no trial, and no defense. In democratic Athens, citizens held a terrifying power: once a year, they could vote to banish any politician from the city for ten years. This practice was known as ostracism, a political tool designed to preemptively neutralize a perceived threat to the state.
This episode explores the strange mechanics and high-stakes drama of the ostracism vote. We describe the process where thousands of citizens would gather in the agora to scratch a name onto a potsherd, or ostrakon. If any one man received over 6,000 votes, he was immediately exiled without any appeal. We examine the famous figures who fell victim to this process, including the great statesman Aristides and the brilliant general Themistocles.
Was ostracism a brilliant democratic safety valve or simply a sophisticated form of mob rule? We analyze the arguments for and against this unique institution, which served as a powerful check on individual ambition. It remains one of history’s most fascinating experiments in direct democracy and social control.

Episode 6 - Paterfamilias: The Power of Life and Death

In the Roman household, one figure held absolute authority: the paterfamilias, the senior male head of the family. His power, known as patria potestas, was nearly limitless under early Roman law. He was not just a father but also a judge and executioner for those under his roof.
This episode delves into the shocking extent of the paterfamilias's legal power. We reveal his authority to sell his children into slavery, reject a newborn infant by leaving it to die, or even execute an adult son for disobedience. We explore the legal and social framework that supported this immense power, which was seen as a cornerstone of the Roman state itself. We also discuss how this authority evolved and diminished over the centuries.
While the most extreme applications of this power were rare, the legal principle remained for centuries. We examine real-life cases and the moral debates they sparked among Roman thinkers. This exploration of domestic law reveals the profound difference between ancient and modern conceptions of family, rights, and individual autonomy.

Episode 7 - The Assassination of Julius Caesar

On the Ides of March, 44 BCE, a group of senators stabbed Julius Caesar to death in the heart of the Roman state. The conspirators, who called themselves the "Liberators," claimed their act was not murder but tyrannicide—the justified killing of a tyrant to restore the Republic. But was their act a noble defense of freedom or a simple act of treason?
This episode examines the assassination through a legal and political lens. We analyze the arguments made by the conspirators, like Brutus and Cassius, who believed Caesar’s ambition to be king-for-life had dissolved the rule of law. We also explore the counter-arguments from Caesar’s allies, who saw the murder as a sacrilegious act against a high priest and the chosen leader of Rome. The killing plunged the Republic into a constitutional crisis with no clear legal answer.
In the chaotic aftermath, the line between patriot and traitor, and between justice and vengeance, became hopelessly blurred. The assassination and subsequent civil war exposed the fatal weaknesses in the Roman legal system when confronted with overwhelming military power. Ultimately, the failure to legally resolve the crime of the Ides of March led directly to the death of the Republic itself.

Episode 8 - Curses, Courts, and Magic

In the ancient world, the supernatural was an inescapable part of daily life, and the law was no exception. Before turning to the courts, a wronged individual in Athens might first turn to darker powers for justice. This was the world of the curse tablet, a potent and popular form of supernatural litigation.
We explore the fascinating practice of binding spells and curses, which were used to influence everything from business deals to athletic competitions. Most importantly, we examine their use in the legal system. Litigants would inscribe lead tablets with pleas to underworld gods, asking them to bind the tongues, minds, and limbs of their courtroom opponents. These tablets were then hidden in graves or wells to activate their dark power.
These artifacts provide a unique window into the anxieties and beliefs of the common person. They reveal a legal world where citizens sought every possible advantage, both earthly and divine. This episode shows how the formal justice system of the courts operated in parallel with a shadowy, supernatural system of vengeance.

Episode 9 - The Vestal Virgins on Trial

In the heart of Rome, the sacred flame of Vesta symbolized the city's eternal life, and its guardians were the Vestal Virgins. These six priestesses were among the most revered figures in Roman society, bound by a sacred 30-year vow of chastity. To break this vow, an act known as incestum, was considered a crime not just against the gods, but against the very existence of Rome.
This episode investigates the terrifying legal consequences for a Vestal accused of losing her virginity. The trial was a deeply religious and political affair, often occurring at times of great state crisis. We detail the gruesome, ritualistic punishment for a guilty verdict: the Vestal was dressed in funeral clothes, carried through the city, and sealed in a subterranean tomb with a small amount of food and water, to be buried alive.
We examine several famous trials of Vestals, exploring how these cases were often driven by political intrigue and public panic. The fate of these women was tied to the fate of Rome itself, making their trials a high-stakes drama of piety, politics, and terror. Their story reveals the deadly intersection of law, religion, and social control in the Roman world.