The beginnings of the principle of criminal legality – ancient law
Keywords:
criminal law, antiquity, legality, criminal statute, offence, punishmentAbstract
The article offers an extensive historical analysis of the emergence and development of the principle of criminal legality, examined in relation to the legal, political, and philosophical context of antiquity. The research aims to identify the original features of criminal legality shaped by the institutionalization of written penal norms, which implicitly led to the recognition that only a pre-existing and general norm can legitimize the imposition of a criminal sanction. Through its interdisciplinary character and its balance between historical inquiry and philosophical reflection, the study strengthens the axiological dimension of legality, reaffirming the universal value of law as an expression of order, freedom, and justice. By analyzing ancient sources as well as contemporary interpretative scholarship, the study highlights that the principle of criminal legality is not an exclusively modern creation, but rather a constant of juridical thought. The purpose of the research lies in demonstrating that, from the earliest eras, legality was conceived as an instrument of reason and social balance. The paper thus contributes to a universal understanding of the origin and function of the principle of criminal legality, offering a broad historical perspective on the ways in which legal rationality came to constitute one of the foundations of civilization. The study was developed within the framework of advanced learning in criminal law, as part of the course Methods and Scientific Research Tools of Criminal Law, taught at the Doctoral School “Criminal Sciences and Public Law” of the “Ștefan cel Mare” Academy. At the same time, the article represents a research outcome carried out within the individual research program of the doctoral project entitled The Principle of Legality in Criminal Law.
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