The Great Inscription of The Law Code of Gortyn

The Great Inscription of Gortyn was discovered 120
years ago and was named “Queen of the Inscriptions”, as it is the biggest ancient Greek inscription ever found. It contains the Law Code of ancient
Gortyn and it is the oldest written legislative text in Europe.
This book aims at giving the visitors to Crete the
opportunity to learn about this significant spiritual creation
of ancient Cretans, which constitutes a valuable ‘mine’ of
information on the status of legal institutions in ancient
Greece. This information is very important for the
individual rights of both free citizens and slaves, for the
procedures of inheritance, adoption and divorce, for the
application of the laws, and the social and economic life
circa 500-450 B.C. in a typical Cretan city.
The book consists of four sections. It begins with a short
historical account, mentioning the legends and traditions
of the city and a brief tour of Gortyn, the ancient capital of
Crete.
The second section illustrates the importance of the
Roman Odeum, where the Inscription survived, and
records the conditions of the discovery, rescue and
publication, as well as the basic information on the script
and the language.
The third section contains an English translation of the
inscription. The translation follows the formulation of the
law provisions, not the lines of the Inscription, as they
change from column to column. The fourth section
contains a commentary and a glossary.

Finally, the book also includes color photographs of the
Inscription by column and the enlargement of the entire
Inscription, as well as photographs of the important monuments of Gortyn.
This work is based on the monumental publication of
the Inscription by the late British classical scholar R.
WilletsThe second section illustrates the importance of the
Roman Odeum, where the Inscription survived, and
records the conditions of the discovery, rescue and
publication, as well as the basic information on the script
and the language.
The third section contains an English translation of the
inscription. The translation follows the formulation of the
law provisions, not the lines of the Inscription, as they
change from column to column. The fourth section
contains a commentary and a glossary.
Finally, the book also includes color photographs of the
Inscription by column and the enlargement of the entire
Inscription, as well as photographs of the important monuments of Gortyn.
This work is based on the monumental publication of
the Inscription by the late British classical scholar R.
Willets