Ancient Law

Undergraduate credit

This course is an historical and comparative introduction to the study of law, thus exposing students to a variety of ancient and medieval legal cultures across the globe. Besides grappling with the basic question of what law actually is, we investigate how law was made and justified, how laws were involved in governing and regulating human relations and transactions, and shifting notions of justice. We examine a range of famous and lesser-known legal sources and materials (codes, narratives, documents, trial records, cases, rituals, performances and ceremonies) as well as literature drawn from history, anthropology, and political theory.