As one example of how the legal systems of the world came to be, the right to a trial by jury comes from English barons trying to overthrow King John. Some of these documents still exist and can be viewed by the public. Others exist in only in conceptual form, but their ideas continue to have an impact on our everyday lives.
We have inherited many ancient codes, decrees and laws and, as time has changed, punishments and judgment methods have, as well. On these pages is a selection of some of the ancient laws that have inspired the legal systems that exist all around the world today.
The law of the jungle
Before man-made law, the only law was the law of nature or the law of the jungle. Only the strongest survived. For a long time, man lived by the same law, using violence to assert dominion over others.
An eye for an eye - Hammurabi's Code
Hammurabi was the king of Babylon, a city state in Mesopotamia in 18th century BC. Mesopotamia is the cradle of human civilisation, and it is from this area that the first story - the Epic of Gilgamesh - was written. Babylon was only a small kingdom when Hammurabi first came to the throne, but through several military victories, he managed to expand it. Despite his military prowess, Hammurabi is best remembered today as a law maker. Hammurabi's Code is the oldest set of laws in recorded history. It is formed on the idea of retaliation and retribution - an idea that can also be found in ancient Hebrew laws.