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1750 BCE
The Code of Hammurabi
Written in 1750 BCE the Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest and well-preserved pieces of legal code. The Code is an 8-foot tall stele written in Cuneiform. Containing 282 laws the Code covers most legal matters from family, civil, criminal to tort and property law most of which follow the philosophy “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. The Code tends to favour those of higher socioeconomic status. The Code was rediscovered in Susa, Iran in 1901 by French archaeologists. -
1240 BCE
Mosaic Law
Known as the Law of Moses or the Written Torah, Mosaic Laws are the laws God gave the Israelites through Moses in 1240 BCE. Though traditionally thought to have been written by Moses, most scholars now believe that they had many authors. The Mosaic Law contains 613 Mitzvot (Commandments) or laws that govern how Jewish people must act, Rambam’s list of mitzvot is the most commonly accepted version. The 613 Mitzvot contain everything from moral, social, food to purity law and the Ten Commandments. -
550
Justinian Code
Corpus Juris Civilis consisting of four books is commonly known as the Justinian Code. In 550CE Justinian I gathered a group of 10 legal experts and 39 scribes to assess and rewrite the old Byzantine law. The Code was used until the fall of the Byzantine empire but still has its influence on the modern legal system. The Code covers many different categories of laws, the process of implementing the law, who has the ability to enact and enforce laws and the rights of people (both free and slaves). -
1215
Magna Carta
King John was a terrible leader that did as he pleased, this led to a rebellion led by Lord Fitzwalter and supported by the Church proposed a legal document with 63 rules that everybody, including the king, was subject to follow the law. The 39th clause gave all ‘free men’ the right to justice and a fair trial. Although it was signed in 1215 CE the Magna Carta has heavily influenced the United States Bill of Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and many other constitutions. -
Napoleonic Code
After the French Revolution, Napoleon enacted the Napoleonic Code in 1804. The Code was a solution to France’s unjust and split laws. The Napoleonic Code put an end to the feudal system by making all men equal under the law and gave men the right to own property. The Code influenced many civil codes in the 19th-century. Although it had many benefits it did however give men authority over their families, deprived women and illegitimate children of any individual rights and reintroduced slavery.
