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Code of Justinian
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Mosaic portrait of Emperor Justinian I with a jeweled crown and halo, from the 6th-century Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.
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Overlooking the Roman Forum with Temple of Saturn in Rome, Italy
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Mosaic portrait of Emperor Justinian I with a jeweled crown and halo, from the 6th-century Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.
Justinian I Justinian I, detail of a 6th-century mosaic at the Church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy.

Code of Justinian

law
Also known as: Codex Justinianeus, Corpus Iuris Civilis, Corpus Juris Civilis(Show More)
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History

Code of Justinian, collections of laws and legal interpretations developed under the sponsorship of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I from 529 to 565 ce. Strictly speaking, the works did not constitute a new legal code. Rather, Justinian’s committees of jurists provided basically two reference works containing collections of past laws and extracts of the opinions of the great Roman jurists. Also included were an elementary outline of the law and a collection of Justinian’s own...

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