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Why did a whole month pass between Socrates' trial and his execution?
Accepted:
July 29, 2010

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Sean Greenberg
August 12, 2010 (changed August 12, 2010) Permalink

The day before Socrates' trial began, the Athenians had launched a ship, dedicated to the god Apollo, bound for Delos in commemoration of the victory of the Athenian Theseus over the Minotaur. During the ship's voyage, no executions were allowed in Athens. Although the length of the trip was variable--it depended on weather conditions--according to Xenophon (as reported in Debra Nails's excellent, informative entry on Socrates in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) it took thirty-one, and consequently Socrates lived thirty days beyond his trial.

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