hanged in a varicose vein
We are accustomed to imagine the world of ancient Greece as being extremely rational and orderly. A sort of golden age where everything worked well, or at least better than today, where everything was functional purpose. Small size and possibility of direct action for citizens, for us inhabitants of modern states seem guaranteed Paradise. Nothing but endless bureaucracy to us hear the few times that we need to make us feel.
Nonnno. We must learn it, the Greek history, to discover that it was not the case. Well, a kind of curse must be linked to Western political systems (and possibly only). A sort of Murphy's Law: if something can be messed up, someone incasinerà. And so I found myself having to study more and more wild-eyed look with some details of the political life of an Athenian of the classical age, unable to believe what, exactly is the system that is commonly used as a model of virtue. So, to dispel this myth (there is always a sadistic, cynical pleasure in removing the myths consolidated let's say) I want to share with you the folly of the ancient Athenians. It may well be aware of us live in a less paranoid of them.
The Madness of the appointment of judges. Now, small general premises: in Athens there was a judiciary, any citizen could do the juror, provided they swear an oath and that was especially chosen for that day and that particular court. Once things were quite logical: the six thousand potential candidates, who first come first served. And since it was paid to exercise the function of an oath, you can imagine there was some crowd in front of the courts (yes, even in this country, around the world, apparently).
But there was one problem: the corruption (and this lesson, especially in Italy, we have learned very well). The jurors could be bribed to leave, and then had to find a way around the problem. Now, the most logical option would be to make the stricter controls, and to stiffen penalties for corruption (which were already quite strong, for that matter). But the Athenians, prey to paranoia and the sum of likely problems of digestion, a strategy which discouraged any fools to cheat because it was not foolproof, but it was too messy to convince anyone (apart from the scholar today ... XD ) to make sense of it. Let's see if you even arrive
at the bottom. Take it as a test of intelligence. XD
Ordunque, it all starts at dawn. At dawn, all citizens who had taken the oath is filed with the Court. The complex of the Court was ten entrances, one from each tribe, and there were ten baskets at each entrance, marked with ten letters of the alphabet, from A to K. Each juror had a sort of badge of his bronze, engraved with his name on a letter. Therefore, each juror should go to the entrance of his tribe and left his card in the basket that carried the same letter that there was engraved on it. We're still
? Well.
To check that it took place for the better there were ten officers. When all had entered, 'sti ten officers (each of which covers a port and its cargo baskets) to draw a card basket, for a total of ten each. These first hundred excerpts immediately became part of the jury, but not all. Everyone had to get up and take up the basket with the letter from which it was extracted and then make a play rather amusing. A provision of the courts were called kleroteria business: it was a few columns as high as a man with many cracks. A little 'as the cd today. These cracks were a measure of plaque. The ten extracts had put all the plates in the holes of kleroteria. These so it was a pipe that was filled in the case of black and white ball (the white balls were a fifth of black). In turn, a ball was sent down: if he was black, the owners of the first five tiles strung could take them back and go home because they had been discarded. If he was white, however, were jurors for the day, and so on, until it had gone all white balls.
It 'something that is much quiz Rete Quattro, but so be it. It must have been fun in some way.
Finally he had the required number of jurors for the day. But it's not over here, because Athens was not a single court, there was more than one. And then had to decide which jurors assign to which court.
After the first level the game, you get to the second: the various revenue courts (marked with letters from lamba onwards) had a color that sets them apart. Before this revenue was a basket containing the acorns with a letter engraved on. The jurors were taking it and went to a court corresponding to that letter that had caught. Then he handed his plate to an official, who shoved a container identified in the court which had been drawn and received by a public servant with a stick the color and the letter of the court by lot happened (needless to say that I I used the stick to make a killing dell'idiota who has invented all this mess). But as it seemed that the Athenians felt a certain lust for all 'sti exchange of gadgets and trinkets, once the jury entered the court was to deliver acorns and sticks, and received in exchange for another tag. I would be entered in court already pissed off like a snake, you do not know. I would be so hysterical that Bernard Gui was asked not to be judged by me. XD
Now you will say, well, at least it's over now. No, my little friends. Do you think that could be so "simple"? Because the jury had to choose between the controller of the hourglass, the counting of votes and the jurors that they would have to distribute the daily wages. And you think how you chose? Through direct appointment by the President of the Court? (Hysterical laughter in the background). Oh, and by the President of the Court ... Obviously that was raffled between the officials who controlled the process.
Good. You have arrived to the end? Bravo!
Now I do not know about you, but I thought of having to deal with almost daily this Ambaradan I spillovers of bile. I find it annoying that the system pefino numerino the counter of meats at the supermarket.
But all this has been educational in its way. From now on I do not complain more to the ranks to the post office *.
*: Unless the Post Office does not decide to have ten entrances, one from each tribe, with ten baskets at each marked with ten letters ecc.ecc.ecc.
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