trial of Socrates
Athenian hemlock verdict
The trial of Socrates was the 399 BCE prosecution of the Athenian philosopher on charges of impiety and corrupting the youth.
Socrates was found guilty by a jury of his fellow citizens and sentenced to death by drinking hemlock.
The event, recorded by Plato and Xenophon, became foundational to Western philosophy—a symbol of intellectual martyrdom and the tension between individual conscience and state authority.
- hemlockPoisonous umbellifer or conifer
- cupSmall drinking container
- death sentenceJudicial order of execution
- AthensGreece's capital city
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
ethics · civic duty · examined life · unexamined life · know thyself · jury system · democracy · martyrdom · Peloponnesian War · Plato · capital punishment · Aristophanes · Xenophon · academic freedom · critical thinking · vote · Athenian democracy · legal precedent
trial of Socratesacquittal
Formal clearing of charges
exoneration · vindication · not guilty verdict · pardon · clemency
trial of SocratesPlato's Academy
Ancient Greek philosophy school
trial of Socratesfair trial
Impartial judicial proceeding
due process · rule of law · judicial independence · habeas corpus
trial, trials, trialed, trialing, try, tried, trying, tries, Socrates