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LANNI, A., Law and Order in Ancient Athens. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (...), 2018. 1st paperback ed. XII,226p. Paperback. ‘This important book offers an answer to a very difficult question: How did the Athenians secure a peaceful social order, despite the fact that they did not reliably enforce their laws? One would think that, if their laws were not vigorously enforced, individual Athenians would have increasingly engaged in antisocial behavior, and that Athens would thus eventually have become a failed state. But that clearly did not happen. Why not? (…) There is much to admire about this book. Lanni does a very good job analyzing the tremendous power of the law courts to enforce social norms, not just statutes: the arguments are cogent, honestly presented, and deeply engaged with a vast amount of scholarship, both on ancient Athens and modern law. This reviewer was particularly intrigued, however, with Lanni’s discussion of the expressive effect of law. If we want to understand the nature of the rule of law, we must appreciate (inter alia) the fact that laws can affect behavior without being enforced. I thus strongly believe that scholars should follow Lanni’s lead and further explore the operation of that seemingly paradoxical dynamic in ancient Athens.’ (DAVID TEEGARDEN in Classical World, 2017, p. 438-439). € 24.50 (New) ISBN: 9781108469081