Ancient Law and Modern Understanding: At the Edges

by Alan Watson

In Ancient Law and Modern At the Edges Alan Watson proposes that ancient law is relevant and important for understanding history, theology, sociology, and literature. 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 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 social organization, Watson argues, but we must consider the movement of law from one society to the next, legal reliance on authority, juristic concern with apparent trivia, and the impact of purely legal thinking on legal growth when interpreting its lessons.

148 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999