In ancient
Athens prosecutions could be initiated by any
citizen or group of citizens. There were no D. A.'s (public prosecutors)
as there are today. Meletus authored the written indictment
against Socrates in 399 B.C.E. and, thus, is the
principal prosecutor. At least on the surface that is. He would have been
quite young at the time and far less skillful in the political arena than
another prosecutor, Anytus.
For this reason, many scholars consider Anytus
the real "power behind the throne" regarding the prosecution of
Socrates. Some evidence exists that Meletus,
a poet by trade, may have been a bona fide religious fanatic who was far
more concerned with the charge of impiety lodged against
Socrates than with the corruption charge. In any
event, Plato portrays him as a very serious and
patriotic sort of fellow who probably sincerely believed the prosecution
of Socrates was for the good of his city-state
of Athens. The third person who forms part of
the prosecution is Lycon.