Many readers have surely visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. There, a simple chest is preserved—made of dark, somewhat chipped wood, with iron locks—inside which, it is said, a prestigious jurist sentenced to life imprisonment hid to escape his confinement in Loevestein Castle. Other museums also claim to possess the chest, asserting the authenticity of theirs. […]
Laws
Posted inScience
Scientists Find an Exception to the Laws of Thermodynamics: A Physical Phenomenon That Defies Textbooks
A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has identified an unusual physical phenomenon that challenges certain traditional expectations derived from the laws of thermodynamics. The finding, led by physics graduate student Anthony Raykh, is described in an article published in Nature Physics, and involves a liquid with the ability to “regain its […]
Posted inHistory
Records and Personal Letters Reveal Violence in the States of Ancient Mesopotamia Is a Historical Distortion
Modern historiography has tended to assume that violence was the primary driving force behind the formation of the first civilizations. This idea, promoted by theorists ranging from Hobbes to Tilly, has dominated interpretations of early state development. However, a recent study published in the Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient challenges […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
The Tower of Nesle: The Medieval Scandal That Led to the Revival of the Salic Law, Barring Women from the Throne
Alexandre Dumas, the renowned author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, lived a life nearly as eventful as his characters. Among other things, he fought several duels, both with swords and pistols, one of them against the writer Frédéric Gallardet, who accused him—rightly—of having appropriated his theatrical drama The Tower of […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Classical Archaeology
A Spectacular Roman Empire Criminal Case Unveiled Through a Newly Discovered Papyrus
A remarkable papyrus recently unearthed from the collections of the Israel Antiquities Authority offers unprecedented insights into Roman legal procedures and life in the Near East. Scholars from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the University of Vienna, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem collaborated to analyze this unique find, now published in the international academic […]
Posted inAncient Greece
The Laws of Charondas, the Greek-Sicilian Legislator Who Wrote Them in Verse
Legal language is harsh and convoluted for most people, a sentiment that law students who have to memorize laws would surely agree with. Would it be easier if these laws were written in verse? This was the belief of Charondas, a legislator from Antiquity, who applied it to the legal corpus he created for the […]
Posted inScience
Study explains why laws are written in an incomprehensible style
A recent study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has shed light on why legal documents are often written in a style that is notoriously difficult to understand, even for lawyers. The study suggests that this complex and convoluted language, often referred to as “legalese”, serves a purpose similar to that of ancient magical […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Lex Oppia, the Law that Banned Colorful Dresses and Excessive Jewelry, which Roman Women Managed to Abolish Through Mobilization
Hannibal Barca never imagined that his brilliant victory at the Battle of Cannae (216 BC) would not only be studied in future military academies but would also allow him to leave the Italian peninsula at his mercy, attract the southern half of the territory to his side, and sow panic among the Romans to the […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Tarpeian Rock, the Place From Where Traitors to Rome Were Thrown Down
Probably Piazza del Campidoglio (Capitoline Square) is one of the most touristy spots in Rome. In this elegant place, designed by Michelangelo at the request of Pope Paul III, who wanted to impress Emperor Charles V during his visit in 1538, you’ll find the Capitoline Museums. These museums, housed in the Conservatori and Nuovo palaces, […]
Posted inModern Era
The Gag Law: How the United States Ended the Republic of Puerto Rico in 72 Hours
Puerto Rico holds the status of a free associated state with the U.S., and although its residents lack the right to vote in presidential elections, they have been U.S. citizens since the enactment of the Jones-Shafroth Act in 1917. This law eliminated the direct guardianship that Washington exercised over the island, authorized the creation of […]
