3131The Roman Empire was known for the Pax
Romana (“Roman Peace”). This 200-year period of
empire-wide peace was based on religious
tolerance and social stability. Such awareness
allowed Rome’s leaders to focus on economic
prosperity and on building good infrastructure,
including roads, tunnels, and bridges.
The Romans recognized the need for a variety
of laws and distinguished between criminal, civil,
and sacred law codes. Through the centuries,
Byzantine rulers used the Roman model to
formally organize, clarify, evaluate, and record
laws that were to be enforced throughout the
empire. Such a standardized system of laws would
serve to replace reliance on a loose patchwork of
oral history, “cultural” laws, and the whims of
local magistrates or customs.L
by Emily AbbinkB
yzantine laws were a
continuation of Roman
laws, along with a Christian
influence introduced by
the emperor Justinian. The ancient
Romans were a practical people. They
knew that they needed to maintain
order within a vast territory and
among a large and diverse citizenry.
Roman laws were rooted in that fact.
The Romans recognized that there
needed to be a certain measure of
justice as well as a respect for
individual rights among peoples of
very different cultures and religions.