Draco, the author of the the first written code of laws at Athens, which he is supposed to have published in the 39th Olympiad (beginning 624 B. C.). Almost nothing is known of his life, but he appears to have been of distinguished birth and virtue, honored for his severe manners and his large experience in public affairs. The exact incidents which led to the formation and adoption of his code are unknown. It is the opinion of most writers that he framed it in accordance with a spontaneous demand of the people, who were weary of lawlessness. He took the citizen at the moment of his birth, prescribed the manner in which he should be nourished and educated, and followed him with directions through the epochs of life. The penalty of death was to be inflicted for almost every crime. The slightest offence, he said, deserved death, and he knew no punishment more severe for the greatest. He carried his severity to a fantastic extreme, ordering punishment to be inflicted upon a statue whose fall had injured a man. So violent a code could not last, and within 30 years Athens was again in anarchy.

Draco died at the culmination of his glory, upon the isle of AEgina. Suidas says that as he entered the theatre there and received the acclamations of the people, he was stifled amid the mass of caps, robes, and cloaks, which in accordance with custom they threw upon him as a mark of honor.