Was ancient Athens the first civilization to establish juries?
As far as I know they were the first. My Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek world says: ‘Cases were heard by large groups of jurors, often numbering 501 but otherwise ranging between 201 and 2,501. Odd numbers were employed to avoid a tie jury vote – unlike modern American juries, ancient Greek juries did not have to reach a unanimous verdict. The jurors were ordinary Athenian citizens, chosen by lottery. But their responsibilites far surpassed those of modern American jurors. Although an Athenian courtroom had an officiating magistrate to maintain procedure, there was no learned judge to interpret the law, enforce the rules of evidence, or pass sentence. These decisions were made by the jury itself, on the basis of the speeches and examination of witnesses by prosecuor and defendant (or, in a civil case, by the two disputants).’ I’m afraid I don’t know when the system came to an end.
