Ancient Laws and Modern Problems

The Balance Between Justice and A Legal System

John Sassoon

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English

Chicago University Press
15 April 2005

General & world history; Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Society & culture: general; Law; Jurisprudence & general issues

John Sassoon’s study of the written laws of four thousand years ago puts paid to the belief that the most ancient laws were merely arbitrary and tyrannical. On the contrary, the earliest legal systems honestly tried to get to the truth, do justice to individuals, and preserve civil order. They used the death penalty surprisingly seldom, and then more because society had been threatened than an individual killed.

Some of the surviving law codes are originals, others near-contemporary copies. Together they preserve a partial but vivid picture of life in the early cites. This occupies more than half the book.

Comparison of ancient with modern principles occupies the remainder and is bound to be controversial; but it is important as well as fascinating. The first act of writing laws diminished the discretion of the judges and foretold a limit on individual justice. Some political principles such as uniformity of treatment or individual freedom have, when carried to extremes, produced crises in modern legal systems world wide. But it is tempting but wrong to blame the judges or the lawyers for doing what society require of them.

By: John Sassoon
Imprint: Chicago University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 431g
ISBN: 9781841501239
ISBN 10: 1841501239
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 15 April 2005
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Ancient Laws and Modern Problems: The Balance Between Justice and A Legal System

<p> An excellent collection of essays... Among the best are Nicholas J. Cull's exploration of Carry On Cleo and its brilliant send up of the epic Cleopatra... and Margaret Malamud's careful look at the Broadway and cinema version of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum... The outstanding contribution to Imperial Projections is, however, Sandra Joshel's essay on I, Claudius. -- Mary Beard, Times Literary Supplement