Justinian’s Code of Laws, which was issued between the years 529-534 AD, was the set of laws that was made up of early Roman laws, including the Twelve Tables as well as new laws that Emperor Justinian felt were important. The codex is actually made up of four parts:

  1. The Institutes served as a textbook for students and lawyers in law.
  2. The Digest was a casebook that included previous trials and decisions.
  3. The Codex was the collection of statutes.
  4. The Novels included new proposed laws written by Emperor Justinian.
A mosaic portrait of Byzantine Emperor Justinian. The mosaic is composed of colored bits of tile put together to create an image.

Source: Justinian, Adam Bishop, Wikimedia

Now you are going to look at three of the laws written in Justinian's Code.

Interactive exercise. Assistance may be required. Click on the image below to read excerpts of Justinian's Code.

Interactive exercise. Assistance may be required. Activity Two: Which of these are parts of Justinian’s Code and which is not? Drag each phrase to the correct column.