Trial of Socrates

The Athenian prosecution of Socrates in 399 BCE for impiety and corrupting the youth, ending in conviction and a death sentence.

Apology (Plato): Plato’s dialogue presenting Socrates’ defense speech at his Athenian trial. Its account shapes the best-known reconstruction of Socrates’ defense and his response to the charges.
Athenian democracy: The political system of ancient Athens in which citizens participated directly in public decisions. A large citizen jury judged the case within this democratic legal system.
Athenian legal system: The institutions and procedures through which citizens administered justice in ancient Athens. Its citizen courts and voting procedures governed Socrates’ prosecution.
Anytus: An Athenian politician and one of the principal accusers of Socrates. His political standing made him a consequential figure behind the prosecution.
Socrates’ execution: The death of Socrates by drinking hemlock in an Athenian prison in 399 BCE. It fulfilled the sentence imposed by the jury after conviction.
Crito: Plato’s dialogue in which Socrates rejects an escape from prison before his execution. It dramatizes Socrates’ decision to accept the legal outcome after conviction.
Peloponnesian War: A long conflict between Athens and Sparta and their allies, ending in Athens’ defeat in 404 BCE. The war’s defeat and aftermath heightened political anxiety before Socrates’ prosecution.
Athenian jury: A large panel of male citizens selected to decide cases in ancient Athens. Jurors voted on Socrates’ guilt and then chose between proposed penalties.
Lycon: An Athenian orator named among Socrates’ principal accusers. He joined Meletus and Anytus in bringing the case.
Socratic problem: The difficulty of distinguishing the historical Socrates from later literary portrayals. Conflicting accounts of the trial make Socrates’ actual words and motives uncertain.

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