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Middle East, North Africa & Turkey : legal resources: Ancient East Mediterranean Law

Subjects: Law: Foreign Law

Ancient Legal Systems of the Eastern Mediterranean

Finding commentary in the Law Library

On Level 2 (the entrance level) of the Law Library are small collections of commentary with the shelf marks

Ancient Babylon

Ancient Gen (short for General) is where you will find surveys (looking at the period rather than the geographic area) and comparative works. 

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Greek

Ancient Sassanian

Journals with a specific focus on ancient legal systems are rare.  Titles which consider ancient societies or legal history in a more general sense often contain ancient law-related articles. 

You should check the journal title in SOLO,  it may be that the Bodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library has more useful current subscriptions/larger holdings than the Law Bod.
In the Law Bod is Journal of Juristic Papyrology at  Ancient General 300 J20. (Papyrology refers to the study of ancient papyrus texts.)

Origins and evolution of law

Ancient law is often discussed in works dealing with the evolution of legal systems from their earliest origins in non-state societies.  Search the catalogue for further anthropological or sociological studies of early law. 

In the Law Bod, works on this area of research may well have shelf marks beginning Primitive or Jurisp. Both are on Floor 2.

Maine's Ancient Law

A classic 19th century text which played a crucial part in the development of ancient law scholarship, although naturally restricted in scope by the more limited knowledge and archaeological discoveries of the time. 

Since its first publication in 1861, it has been through various editions. The Law Library has many of these - the most recent shelved on Level 2 (the entrance level) in the section with shelf marks beginning Jurisp 510 at M225a. The superseded editions are available on the Ground Floor shelves in the Sceondary Collection sequence.

Related Bodleian guides