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  • 10 - Property

  • Edited by Caroline Humfress, University of St Andrews, Scotland, David Ibbetson, University of Cambridge, Patrick Olivelle, University of Texas, Austin
  • Book:
    The Cambridge Comparative History of Ancient Law
    Published online:
    09 May 2024
    Print publication:
    30 May 2024, pp 512-564

  • Summary

    Chapter 10 surveys the history, the concepts and the institutions of property in premodern India, China, the Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Formal rules of ownership and inheritance formed the basis of all premodern legal regimes and undergirded economic performance (for instance, growth), as has been frequently stressed by New Institutional Economists. The enforcement of property rights reveals a good deal about the diverse economies, environments and cultures of premodern societies. The chapter summarizes the sources for property rights, which are rich and varied; and the control and use of resources occupy a considerable part of private legal documentation in all premodern systems that have yielded written material.