Draconian

Origin

In the 7th century BC, an Athenian legislator named Draco was tasked with codifying the first written laws of Athens. Before him, justice was often arbitrary, dispensed by aristocratic judges without transparency. Draco's intention was to make justice accessible to all, but his statutes became infamous for their extreme severity; almost every offense, no matter how minor, was punishable by death. Even stealing a cabbage could lead to execution, leading the orator Demades to famously remark that Draco's laws were "written not in ink, but in blood." Though most of his laws were later reformed by Solon, the memory of their unforgiving nature solidified Draco's name in history, forever lending it to any system of rules or punishments considered excessively cruel or strict.