History of Law Flashcards, test questions and answers
Discover flashcards, test exam answers, and assignments to help you learn more about History of Law and other subjects. Don’t miss the chance to use them for more effective college education. Use our database of questions and answers on History of Law and get quick solutions for your test.
What is History of Law?
Law has been a part of human existence since the dawn of civilization. Since then, it has evolved and developed to meet the needs of modern society. Throughout history, law has played a crucial role in protecting citizens’ rights, establishing justice and order, and providing an enforceable framework for dispute resolution.The earliest known laws date back to ancient Mesopotamia (3000-2000 BC), where they were inscribed on clay tablets. These laws covered topics such as land ownership and taxation. They also established punishments for different crimes. This system became known as Hammurabi’s Code and was adopted by other cultures in the region such as Babylonians, Assyrians and Hittites. In ancient Greece (800-500 BC), law was based on traditions rather than written rules or codes. The Athenian legal system was quite advanced for its time; however, it relied heavily on oral arguments from experts instead of evidence presented by parties involved in disputes. The Roman Republic (509-27 BC) adopted many aspects of Athenian law but also introduced more structured legal systems with specific punishments for certain crimes; this is seen as the beginning of formal codified law systems which are still used today in many countries around the world. Roman law was later used to create systems such as civil law (which governs relationships between individuals) or canon law (which governs religious communities). During Medieval times (476-1450 AD), most European countries adopted some form of Roman Law which eventually led to a unified body of laws known as Corpus Juris Civilis or Body Of Civil Law; this is considered to be one of the first major steps towards modern legal codes that we see today such as civil procedure codes or criminal codes which are often used by courts when deciding cases with precedent value related to particular topics or areas of law like tort liability, contract issues etc. In addition to developing existing forms of legal systems throughout history, other innovations have been made which have changed our understanding and interpretation regarding certain aspects like human rights issues which have become increasingly important over time due mostly because there is now a greater recognition that all people should be treated equally regardless their race or gender etc.