CHARONDAS, a celebrated lawgiver of Catina in Sicily. His date is uncertain. Some make him a pupil of Pythagoras (c. 580– 504 B.c.) ; but all that can be said is that he was earlier than Anaxilaus of Rhegium (494-476), who abolished his laws, pre viously in use at Rhegium. His laws, originally written in verse, were adopted by the other Chalcidic colonies in Sicily and Italy. According to Aristotle there was nothing special about these laws, except that Charondas introduced actions for perjury; but he speaks highly of the precision with which they were drawn up (Politics, ii. 12). The legal fragments attributed to him by Stobaeus and Diodorus are of late (neo-Pythagorean) origin. See Bentley, On Phalaris, which (according to B. Niese, s.v. in Pauly, Realencyklopadie) contains the best account of Charondas; A. Holm, Geschichte Siciliens, i. ; F. D. Gerlach, Zaleukos, Charondas, and Pythagoras (1858) ; also art. GREEK LAW.