Legal history

Legal history or the history of law is the study of how law has evolved and why it changed. Legal history is closely connected to the development of civilizations and is set in the wider context of social history.

Ancient Legal Systems

Among the earliest legal systems were those of Sumer and Ancient Egypt. The Sumerians produced the earliest known legal codes, including the Code of Ur-Nammu, the Code of Eshnunna, and the Code of Hammurabi. The Ancient Egyptian law, dating as far back as 3000 BC, contained a civil code that was probably broken into twelve books.

Roman Law

Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD. Roman law forms the basic framework for civil law, the most widely used legal system today, and the terms are sometimes used synonymously.

Common Law and Civil Law

The two main legal traditions of the western world are the civil law systems and the common law systems. The civil law system is a codified system of law, it takes its origins from Roman law. The common law system is a system that was developed in England and is based on court decisions.

Modern Legal Systems

In the modern era, legal histories have been written about a wide range of topics, including the history of constitutional law, criminal law, and corporate law. The study of legal history has a broad application to societal history, understanding how society works, and mapping the evolution of laws.