Draconian

Draco the Lawgiver carving in the library of
the United States Supreme Court (Wikimedia)

Recently, I have been seeing "Draconian" used in the news to describe things like the measures being taken in Italy and other countries due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). The adjective is used when laws or their application are considered excessively harsh and severe.

Is there a Draco that makes things Draconian? My sons might say is it for Draco Malfoy, a character in the Harry Potter series of books and movies? No. Is it connected to Draco, a constellation in the northern part of the sky or the dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way? No and no, but there is a connection for all of them and that connection is the man Draco who lived in the 7th century BC.

He was also called Drako or Drakon and was the first recorded legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece. He replaced the prevailing system of oral law and blood feud with a written code to be enforced only by a court of law.

But Draco established laws characterized by their harshness and since the 19th century "draconian" became an adjective referring to similarly unforgiving rules or laws.