Ancient Law

In this fascinating book, Henry Sumner Maine demonstrates how legal principles dating back to Ancient Rome evolved and permeated the modern legal system and society of the United States.

A superb investigation of the roots of law ranging across thousands of years, this work uncovers resemblances between the government of the United States and the government of Ancient Rome. In particular the American Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are shown to have heavily derived from the Roman Jus Gentium - 'Law of the people'.

At the time Maine published his analysis, the United States had already demonstrated vast differences across its regions and geography. The American Civil War in particular advertised divisions in the population. The author draws parallels between the localities of North America, and the wide-ranging cultures and peoples that populated the Roman Empire, noting that the federal legal system of both societies is a standard effectively applied to such vast, disparate areas.