Excerpt from Lectures on the Growth of Criminal Law in Ancient Communities In the six lectures contained in the present volume I have attempted, as briefly as possible, to compare the early ideas of several nations as to crimes and their punishments. I have selected legal systems as far apart from, ans as much independent of, each other as possible, with a view to showing that identity of usage did not arise from the adoption by one nation of the laws of institutions of another, but rather from the inherent principles of human nature. The close similarity between the early institutions of very distant races as regards Penal Law is extremely remarkable. Nothing illustrates so much the complete contrast between modern and ancient ideas, on legal subjects, as the study of this branch of Law historically. The existence of Law, without any Sovereign authority - without any sanction, or recognized tribunal seems to us almost a contradiction in terms. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This book is a comprehensive guide on the development of criminal law in ancient communities. Richard R. Cherry, a renowned legal scholar, provides a detailed analysis of the origins, evolution and transformation of criminal laws in early societies. The book delves into the legal systems of Mesopotamia, Rome, Greece, Israel and other ancient cultures, exploring the social, political and economic factors that influenced the codification of criminal laws. Cherry's work sheds light on a fascinating period in legal history and is an invaluable resource for legal scholars, historians and anyone interested in the evolution of law. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.