Ancient Criminal Law: A Global Perspective

This international workshop features contributors to our forthcoming Modern Criminal Law Review Special Issue on “Ancient Criminal Law: A Global Perspective,” guest edited by Clifford Ando (University of Chicago). Recent years have witnessed several revolutions in the study of ancient law. These include new models for the study of ancient states, deriving in particular from comparative study; new interpretive emphasis on the limits of state infrastructural power; detailed study of the pluralist nature of legal authority in ancient empires in particular; and the extraordinary recovery of previously unknown documentary materials, especially in central Asian and East Asian contexts. This issue seeks to bring these new insights to bear on the study of criminal law in a global array of contexts:  the Ancient Near East, classical Athens, Qin and Han period China, the high Roman empire, and rabbinic Judaism. Participants include: Clifford Ando, University of Chicago (moderator) Beth Berkowitz, Columbia University Ari Bryen, Vanderbilt University Liang Cai, University of Notre Dame Benjamin Gallant, Harvard University Adriaan Lanni, Harvard University Mark Letteney, University of Washington Seth Richardson, University of Chicago Andrew Wolpert, University of Florida June 24, 2026 @ 12pm (ET) ► To stay informed about upcoming MCLR+ events, publications, and projects, please sign up for the MCLR+ mailing list and check the MCLR+ website; to receive notifications about upcoming livestreams, subscribe to our YouTube channel.