POINE
A STUDY IN ANCIENT
GREEK BLOOD-VENGEANCE
By
HUBERT J. TRESTON, M.A.
PROFESSOR OF ANCIENT CLASSICS IN
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE,
CORK
Rien de ce qu’ont pensé les Hellènes n’est indifférent
à l’histoire de la civilisation.—Glotz
LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.C. 4
NEW YORK, TORONTO
BOMBAY, CALCUTTA AND MADRAS
1923
Made in Great Britain
It has not been my purpose in writing this book to occupymyself in expanding or discussing some articles written onGreek criminal law in a learned dictionary of antiquities.While it is true that ancient law, however crude and obscureits expression, is not so repulsive, so inhumanly technicalas medieval or modern law, and while it is also true that awriter on Greek blood-vengeance cannot avoid an occasionalreference to legal formulae and technique, nevertheless Ifeel that a merely legal treatise would not advance theprospects of Greek education or our knowledge of Greekcivilisation, for the simple reason that no one but a professedstudent of ancient law could be induced to read it!
This work is intended rather as a supplement to the studyof Greek literature, history, and archaeology. The first partcontains an analysis of important elements of Homeric civilisation,an account of the different strata in the Homeric societyand of the religious beliefs and practices of the Homeric Greeks.This section owes much to the pioneer work of Ridgewayand of Leaf; it carries, so to speak, into remote corners andcrevices the light which their genius has thrown on the generalnature and structure of early Greek society.
The second part is concerned with the Middle Age ofHellenism (1000 B.C.-600 B.C.): it is an attempt to explainthe social and religious evolution of the Hellenes and tointerpret the homicide laws of the historical period in thelight of that evolution. This section is inevitably the most‘legal’ portion of the work, but an effort is made, even atthe cost of what might appear excessive repetition, to avoidan unduly technical exposition, and the literary aspect ofthe subject is constantly emphasised.
The third part is an enquiry into the origin and developmentof the legends which are found in Attic tragedy. These[vi]legends are permeated with references to homicide, and Ihave attempted to render less obscure and difficult theproblems of blood-vengeance which they contain. As suchan attempt would be utterly impossible without a previousdiscussion of the homicide laws of Greece, the account ofthese laws which I have given in the second part of the workshould be regarded as a necessary preliminary to the subsequentanalysis of these legends.
The extent of my indebtedness to modern writers on thisand kindred subjects is sufficiently indicated in the footnotesand the second section of the Index. I must, however, express,in addition, my obligations to Professor Goligher, of TrinityCollege, Dublin, for his kind encouragement, assistanc