Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 24: Public Trial

The plaintiff and the defendant stood on opposite sides before Tritodemos. According to the law, since the plaintiff and defendant might not be familiar with the detailed articles of the Daonia Code or be skilled in oratory, they were permitted to hire lawyers for courtroom argument and defense. However, Polyxides—the first to be tried in this case—decided to defend himself. Because his crimes far exceeded the scope of the original complaint filed by the freed slave, the court appointed a public prosecutor to bring the case. That prosecutor was Davos’ former secretary, Aristocrates.

After Aristocrates had gained the status of preparatory citizen in Daonia, Davos had advised him to work in the courts. He passed the examination and started as a court recorder, working diligently while studying Daonian law assiduously. Once he became a full Daonian citizen, he served as a junior judge on the circuit court. Over the past year or more, he had earned a stellar reputation as a rising star among Daonian judges, having “decided over two hundred cases and disputes without error.” For this trial, Davos personally selected him as the prosecutor, placing great hopes in him.

Because Davos had adapted the later-era courtroom system and transplanted it into Daonia, it seemed distinctive from the very beginning.

One must understand that the most admired court of this era, the Athenian court, had no dedicated judge—only order officials to maintain procedure, while the power of judgment rested with the jury. Yet the jury had no fixed number; it varied based on the size of the case, sometimes consisting of over two thousand members, and verdicts were reached by majority vote. Thus in Athens, every case, large or small, required a jury, and roughly three to four thousand citizens shuttled daily between the various courts in the city and at the port, earning other city-states the jest that “Athenians are Greeks who love lawsuits.”

But in Daonia, except for important cases—such as homicide or treason—that required a jury to decide, other civil disputes were generally directly settled by the judge. Even if the defendant requested a jury, the request had a high chance of being denied. The reason was that the citizens of the Daonia Alliance were quite busy: military training, field labor, market trade, public facility construction… they had little free time to sit in court listening to plaintiffs and defendants talk about matters unrelated to them.

In Athens, because the city-state was extremely wealthy, serving as a juror came with monetary compensation. Some citizens even made a living from it, so they gladly attended.

In short, given its current strength and finances, Daonia could not afford the time-consuming and costly Athenian courtroom style, nor did it intend to adopt it. Daonians were generally law-abiding; they feared that breaking the law would affect their eligibility to join the Army Corps, hold public office, or receive rewards from the city-state. Serious crimes were rare. Thus, large-scale trials with a jury, like this one, were seldom seen by the populace, and many people were experiencing the Daonian courtroom procedure for the first time.

Victory Square was soon packed with citizens, and people kept arriving from outside…

When the water level in the water clock fell to the eight o’clock mark, Tritodemos rang the bell to open the court.

Since both plaintiff and defendant were already present, the prosecutor began his statement. Aristocrates briefly explained how the freed slave had lodged a complaint at the temple, how the patrol had conducted a search according to procedure, and how evidence was discovered. Then he immediately displayed the seized evidence to the jury, accusing Polyxides of unlawfully occupying land and restricting others’ freedom.

Murmuring began among the crowd below.

Tritodemos had to ring the bell again to remind the audience to remain quiet. He then signaled that the defendant, Polyxides, could proceed with his defense.

A seasoned veteran of politics, Polyxides remained head held high and energetic, knowing that if he appeared dejected, the people would take it as a sign of guilt. Though he had not participated in drafting the court system, he had sat in on the entire process of Davos persuading the senators and understood that to be acquitted in a major Daonian trial, the key lay with the jury. So he spoke in a passionate voice: “Honorable members of the jury, at this moment I recall my father and my grandfather… As among the earliest founders of Thurii, they poured all their effort and blood into what was once a wilderness, making this prosperous city possible. Influenced by my elders, I have strived for this city since adulthood. Like you, I have tilled the fields, served as a soldier, fought in battles, held low-level public office, and later been elected by the people as a general of Thurii many times. I have exhausted my strength for this city-state—”

At that point, Aristocrates stood up and interrupted: “Polyxides, as a former general of Thurii, you should bear responsibility for the burning of Thurii! And when the city finally fell, you, as a general, did not lead the people to face the enemy but vanished instead. How dare you claim you gave everything for the city-state! That is not the truth!” Clearly, Aristocrates had thoroughly investigated Polyxides’ background beforehand.

No sooner had he spoken than someone from the crowd responded: “He’s right! Back then, I was in the army that fought the Crotoniates. Many died, including Neonxis, but from start to finish, I never saw Polyxides!”

“Coward!”

“Criminal!”

…

From the crowd, shouts arose.

“Quiet! Quiet!” Tritodemos had to ring the small bell again, reminding the audience to stay calm, and at the same time warned: “You two are not to speak on matters irrelevant to this defense. Return to the accusations at hand.”

It should be said that because Daonian courts seldom handled major trials, young judges like Aristocrates lacked some experience. Otherwise, he could have raised an objection as soon as Polyxides started speaking.

Nevertheless, this initial exchange captured the public’s attention. The courtroom was like a battlefield, with sharp tongues and keen words, life and death at stake—the risks and intensity far surpassed watching a play. The Daonian citizens began to open their eyes wide, eagerly anticipating even more exciting arguments to come.

Polyxides was rather embarrassed; in his selfishness, he had truly forgotten his own flight as a deserter. He had planned to go on about his arduous and meritorious service in the Senate, but now that was out of the question. He cast a deep glance at his opponent and then began: “As a senator in the Daonian Senate, I have always regarded the magistrate Davos as my model and heeded the revelation of Hades. That is why I disregarded my own losses and granted freedom to many of my household slaves. To date, I have freed fifty-seven slaves, six of whom have become full citizens. I ask you, apart from Lord Davos, which other citizen in Daonia has treated slaves as kindly as I have? None!” Polyxides looked around with a solemn expression.

“Those freed slaves, out of gratitude and repayment, give me some money and gifts each year. I declined their enthusiasm but reluctantly accepted. Because I had more money, I could buy more slaves and grant freedom to even more! … But alas, I never imagined that I would be misunderstood as corrupt! This… this is a tremendous blow to my earnest desire to learn from Lord Davos! It is a misunderstanding!…” He put on a hurt expression toward the jury.

Aristocrates said coldly: “Whether Polyxides is corrupt or not, I request permission from the judge to question the witnesses.”

Tritodemos nodded in agreement.

Aristocrates brought ten witnesses to the stand, all of them freed slaves of Polyxides—some recently released, some already preparatory citizens, and some full citizens. The witnesses with citizen status had not wanted to testify but were compelled by the court, as it was a duty of alliance citizens.

After they swore by the god Hades that they would not lie, Aristocrates questioned each of them one by one, each question sharper than the last. Several times, Polyxides tried to interrupt but was shouted down by the judge Tritodemos.

Seeing that Polyxides was in a bad position and fearing they would be charged with perjury and convicted of blasphemy, the witnesses spilled everything.

By now, the crowd near the wooden platform understood clearly: First, the lands these witnesses held were enviably located—all fertile fields on the Sybaris Plain. It was well known that at the founding of the alliance, there were many people and little land. To prevent the land from lying fallow, much of it was leased to freemen and freed slaves for cultivation. Later, leasing on the Sybaris Plain became tight; even allotments for preparatory citizens were insufficient, let alone leasing to freemen. That Polyxides’ newly freed slaves could still lease good land was a huge problem.

Second, after these witnesses paid the alliance’s rents and taxes, they still had to pay Polyxides forty percent of their land income.

Third, the witnesses who had become full citizens were still required to give Polyxides five percent of their own land income every year. Why would full citizens voluntarily send him money? Because Polyxides had bribed certain people in the Agricultural Affairs Department. When these new citizens received their allotments, the land surveyors would fudge the measurements, adding half an acre or so. Since their allotments were often in remote areas, it was not easily discovered. So these citizens from Polyxides’ household gained an advantage, and afraid that the annual Agricultural Affairs Department spot-checks would reclaim the land, they took the initiative to bribe Polyxides.

After Aristocrates finished his questioning, Polyxides could already feel the crowd’s anger below. He hastily shouted: “They are all lying! Lying! I never did any of these things! Someone is framing me! Afraid that I would shake his influence over Daonia—”