Une ordalie verbale inachevée: le serment dans les discours des orateurs attiques

The practice of oath-taking in the courts of Ancient Athens meets the field of ordeal within situations that seem to be remnant (but important) traces of a past that the transition from pre-law to law tends to erase. However, there are cases (for instance : some decisive oaths) that seem to be inconsistent with the procedure of Athenian Law which are very important to understand some aspects of the trial, the organization of society (especially in cases of disputes about fatherhood) and some aspects of the symbolism of procedure. The oath is a kind of uncompleted verbal ordeal, often put into practice outside courts, leaving the swearer in the hand of the gods he has invoked. In this article, some aspects of the oathprocedure are studied, such as the contact with the altar as well as with the victims, and the image of the stone as a way to establish contact with the field of death.