Science: The Site of Socrates' Trial

Now I must present myself at the Stoa of the Basileus to meet the indictment of Meletos, which he has brought against me. —Theaetetus, Plato

With those casual words to his disciples in the. year 399 B.C., Socrates went off to face the grave charges .that a disgruntled poet had brought against him: corrupting the youth of ancient Athens, impiety and practicing "religious novelties." The ensuing trial is still remembered as an epic defense of free speech and individual liberty, largely because of Plato's detailed account of it. But the trial site itself has long eluded archaeologists. Now, after nearly a century...

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