Why Socrates Died Dispelling the Myths [Hardcover]

Socrates trial and death together form an iconic moment in Western civilization. In 399 BCE, the great philosopher stood before an Athenian jury on serious charges: impiety and subverting the young men of the city. The picture we have of itcreated by his immediate followers, Plato and Xenophon, and perpetuated in countless works of literature and art ever sinceis of a noble man putting his lips to the poisonous cup of hemlock, sentenced to death in a fit of folly by an ancient Athenian democracy already fighting for its own life. But an icon, an image, is not reality, and time has transmuted so many of the facts into historical fable.Starred Review. Impressive scholarship redefining an iconic event.From the author ofA thorough and fascinating account of the democratic process of lawmaking and justice in Athens....[a] learned book in clear, concise prose.Starred Review. Of the many introductory studies on the Athenian judicial system, the trial of Socrates, the conflict between Athens and Sparta and the reasons that democracy gave way to oligarchy in Athens, this is among the clearest, most well-organized and most concise.A revisionist account of the most famous trial and execution in Western civilizationone with great resonance for American society today.