HISTORY OF THE LAW

  Since the time when our ancestors first began to live in large and settled groups, rules have been adopted to protect individuals and groups and to govern their relationships. Even the most ancient peoples compiled Law Codes. But our knowledge is vague of laws that were in effect before the invention of writing in about 3500 B.C.The oldest law code is tablets from the ancient archives of the city of Ebla (now on the territory of Syria) which date to about 2400 B.C. The tablets dealt with diplomacy and foreign relations, internal and domestic affairs, and religious and cultural matters.The earliest known legal text was written by Ur-Nammu, a king of the Mesopotamian city of Ur (now on the territory of modern Iraq), in about 2100 B.C. The Code of Ur-Nammu assumed a universal understanding on the part of the people that law descended from the gods and the king was simply the administrator of those laws. Harsh penalties were considered unnecessary for the majority of crimes as, since people were assumed to know how they should behave toward each other, a monetary fine as a reminder of how to behave was sufficient. The Code is comprised of 40 paragraphs that state the crime and the punishment that would be administered by the state through the will of the gods. Some examples of the laws are:         1) If a man committed a kidnapping, he is to be imprisoned and pay fifteen shekels of silver.2)If a man appeared as a witness, and was shown to be a perjurer, he must pay fifteen shekels of silver.

  One of the most detailed ancient legal codes was drawn up by Hammurabi, a king of Babylon (on the territory of modern Iraq) around 2000 B.C. The entire code, consisting of 282 paragraphs, was carved into a great stone pillar, which was set up in a temple so that it could be read by every citizen. This became known as the Law Code of Hammurabi.One of the most detailed ancient legal codes was drawn up by Hammurabi, a king of Babylon (on the territory of modern Iraq) around 2000 B.C. The entire code, consisting of 282 paragraphs, was carved into a great stone pillar, which was set up in a temple so that it could be read by every citizen. This became known as the Law Code of Hammurabi.

It dealt with many of the same subjects as our legal system today. It included real and personal property law (the rights of slave owners and slaves, inheritance and property contracts); family law (marriage and divorce); criminal law (crimes and punishment of crimes); and business law (the settlement of debts and even regulations about taxes and the prices of goods).The code outlawed private blood feuds and banned the tradition by which a man could kidnap the woman he wanted for his bride. In addition, the new laws took account of the circumstances of the offender as well as of the offence. So a lower-ranking citizen who lost a civil case would be fined less than an aristocrat in the same position – though he would also be awarded less if he won.Punishments under the code were often harsh. The cruel principle of revenge was observed: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, which meant that criminals had to receive as punishment precisely those injuries and damages they had inflicted upon their victims. Not only murderers but also thieves and false accusers faced the death penalty.

Nevertheless, Hammurabi’s laws represented an advance on earlier tribal customs, because in accordance with the Law Code of Hammurabi the penalty could not be harder than the crime. The laws set forth in the Law Code of Hammurabi were written by the king – a divinely inspired authority. Only the King could change such laws. This absolutism of power in the monarch was typical of legal systems until the time of the Greeks around 300 B.C.                                                 Прочитайте текст. Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующим словосочетаниям на русском языке.                                1. вор;

2. смертная казнь;

3. брак;

4. клеветник;

5. наказание;

6. правонарушитель;

7. правонарушение;

8. преступление;

9. гражданское дело;

10. наносить ущерб;

11. наносить увечья;

12. похищать;

13. имущественные контракты;

14. правовые нормы, регулирующие вопросы личной собственности недвижимости;

15. правовые нормы, регулирующие имущественные права;

16. семейное право;

17. уголовное право;

18. торговое право;

19. правовой юридический документ;

   20. свод законов.                                                                                 Найдите в тексте термины, соответствующие данным определениям.

1. _____ is an instruction that tell you what you are allowed to do and what you are not allowed to do;

2. _____ is a punishment imposed for a violation of law or rule;

3. _____ is payment for damage or loss;

4. _____ is an illegal action or activity for which a person can be punished by law;

   5. _____ is to ban or make illegal.                                                        Переведите предложения с русского языка на английский.

1. Закон – это часть жизни людей, однако мы очень мало знаем о самых ранних законах.

2. Закон Ур-Намму – это один из самых первых известных нам правовых документов. В основном этот документ касался компенсаций телесных повреждений и наказаний.

3. Древнейший свод законов был составлен Хаммурапи, царем Вавилона. Кодекс Хаммурапи состоит их 282 статей и охватывает все сферы жизни. В основе кодекса Хаммурапи лежит идея о том, что наказание должно быть «равным» преступлению – «око за око, зуб за зуб».

4. Кодекс Хаммурапи ставил вне закона убийство и клеветничество. Наказания за них были суровыми. Кодекс также рассматривал вопросы имущества и наследства.

5. Кодекс Хаммурапи устанавливал денежный штраф, при назначении которого учитывалось как само правонарушение, так и социальное положение граждан.