| Ancient Law and Modern Understanding: At the Edges Contributor(s): Watson, Alan (Author) |
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ISBN: 0820341150 ISBN-13: 9780820341156 Publisher: University of Georgia Press OUR PRICE: $22.75 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2012 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Law | Legal History - History | Ancient - Rome - Political Science | Comparative Politics |
| Dewey: 340.54 |
| Physical Information: 0.43" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (0.41 lbs) 168 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) - Cultural Region - Italy |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In Ancient Law and Modern Understanding Alan Watson proposes that ancient law is relevant and important for understanding history, theology, sociology, and literature. "Law, though technical," he writes, "is not remote from scholarship on other matters, and law is a central element in society." From Homeric Greece to present-day Armenia, Watson examines law's influence. Without a sensitivity to technical legal language, scholars of literature or history miss much: the use of puns in Plautus, Sulla's claim that Julius Caesar was descended from a slave, the relationship between the Synoptic Gospels. Legal history is an essential tool for understanding society, Watson argues, but it must be applied with knowledge of how law moves from one society to the next, legal reliance on authority, juristic concern with apparent trivia, and the impact on legal growth. |
Contributor Bio(s): Watson, Alan: - ALAN WATSON, Distinguished Research Professor and Ernest P. Rogers Chair at the University of Georgia School of Law, is regarded as one of the world's foremost authorities on Roman law, comparative law, legal history, and law and religion. He is the author of numerous books, including The State, Law, and Religion: Pagan Rome (Georgia) and Roman Law and Comparative Law (Georgia). He is also the editor of the four-volume translation of the Digest of Justinian. |