The Legal Heritage of Greece and Rome.
The ancient Greeks were among the first to develop a concept of law that separated everyday law from religious beliefs. Before the Greeks most civilizations attributed their laws to their gods or goddesses. Instead, the Greeks believed that laws were made by the people for the people.
In the seventh century B.C., Draco drew up Greece’s first comprehensive written code of laws. Under Draco’s code death was the punishment for most offences. Thus, the term draconian usually applies to extremely harsh measures.
Several decades passed before Solon – ultimately Athens’ lawgiver – devised a new code of laws.
Trial by jury, an ancient Greek tradition was retained, but enslaving debtors was prohibited as were most of the harsh punishments of Draco’s code.
What the Greeks may have contributed to the Romans was the concept of “natural law”. In essence, natural law was based on the belief that certain basic principles are above the laws of a nation.
Laws of Babylon
Rules and law - and the conventions or customs from which they are descended have been a part of human life ever since our ancestors first began ti live in large and settled groups. But our knowledge is vague of laws in which it dealt largely with compensation for bodily in juries and with the penalties for witchcraft and runaway slaves.
One of the most detailed ancient legal codes was drawn up in about 1758 by Hammurabi, a king of Babilonia. The entire code, consisting of 282 paragraphs, was carved into a great stone pillar, which was set up in a temple to the Babilonian god Mardok so that it could be read by every citizen.
The laws laid down by Hammurabi were more extensive than any that had gone before. They covered crime, divorce and marriage, the rights of slave owners and slaves, the settlement of debts, inheritance and property contracts; there were even regulations about taxes and the prices of goods.
The cruel principle of revenge was observed: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, which meant that criminals had to receive as punishment precisely those injuries and damages they had inflicted upon their victims. Not only murderers but also thieves and false accusers faced the death penalty.
Nevertheless, Hammurabi's laws represented an advance on earlier tribal customs, because the penalty could not be harder than the crime.
The Northern Arctic Federal University.
The Northern Arctic Federal University is a famous educational and cultural centre in our country and abroad. The history of our University began in 1929 when the Arkhangelsk Forest Engineering Institute (AFEI) was established to provide training for the Forest Economy and Timber Industry. Since then, the Arkhangelsk Forest Engineering Institute has undergone extensive developments: it acquired the status of University in 1994 and was renamed as the Arkhangelsk State Technical University (ASTU). In 2010 the University acquired the name of Northern Arctic Federal University.
The University various educational activities: higher education, post graduate education. The University provides training in 17 institutes:
-Institute of law
-Institute of Information and Cosmic Technologies
-Institute of Oil and Gas
-Institute of Economics
-Institute of Power Engineering and Transport
-Institute of Forest Engineering
And others.
There is a correspondence department for those who work.
Highly qualified professors and teachers work there.
There is a Preparatory Department for foreign students at the University. The intensive course of Russia will let them master the Russia language in 1 year. They will also study some basic subjects of their future specialty.
The University has many educational and laboratory buildings, the dendrarium, educational complex of the forest industry for scientific researches, computer classes with internet and modern computer programs.
The university has a well-developed infrastructure: a well- equipped dispensary- sanatorium for University teaches and students, a health care centre, a ski centre, gym- halls, a stadium, libraries, an internet café and reading halls. Student can spend their free time in the club of amateur performances, playing, dancing and singing in choir. Our post graduate students have a great opportunity for self-realization. They work at big enterprises, companies, research institute, governmental organizations not only in Russia but also abroad.
The university collaborates with higher educational institutions of Sweden, Finland, Norway, France and the USA. NAFU participates in international projects, financed by the European Community.