Culture- and era-specific rules drawn from 8 major traditions. Contextual clauses apply within a civilization's historical frame and are grounded in that tradition's primary legal, philosophical, and customary sources.
Norms arising from Roman law, canon law, English common law, Continental civil law, and international human rights law (ECHR, ICCPR). Covers both the common-law and civil-law branches.
Norms derived from Sharia, Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and Maqasid al-Shariah (objectives of Islamic law). Covers both classical schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali) and modern Islamic state law.
Norms from Confucian ethical governance, Imperial Chinese statutory codes (Tang, Ming, Qing Codes), the Republican period, and contemporary PRC law. Emphasises relational ethics and collective harmony.
Norms from Dharmashastra, Arthashastra, Buddhist legal philosophy, Mughal administrative law, colonial-era reforms, and the modern Indian Constitution. Includes Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain contributions.
Norms rooted in Ubuntu philosophy ("I am because we are"), customary law traditions across sub-Saharan Africa, North African-Islamic intersections, Organization of African Unity (OAU) and AU frameworks.
Norms from pre-Columbian civilizations (Aztec, Maya, Inca), Spanish and Portuguese colonial law, Liberation theology, and modern constitutionalism including buen vivir (good living) frameworks.
Norms from Pacific Island customary law, Aboriginal Australian and Māori legal traditions, the concept of tapu (sacredness), and modern Pacific island constitutionalism including indigenous rights frameworks.
A collection of six sub-traditions covering East Asia (Japan/Korea), Central Asia (Turkic/Mongol), Eastern Europe and Russia, Nordic/Norse traditions, the Ancient Near East (Sumerian to Persian), and Southeast Asia.
| File | Tradition | Key Civilizations | Era | Clauses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
east_asia.md |
East Asia | Japan (Meiji, Tokugawa), Korea (Joseon) | 1392–1945 CE | 3 |
central_asia.md |
Central Asia | Turkic states, Mongol Empire, Timurids | 500–1600 CE | 3 |
easteuro_russia.md |
Eastern Europe & Russia | Kievan Rus, Byzantine influence, Imperial Russia | 900–1917 CE | 3 |
nordic.md |
Nordic / Norse | Viking Age, Thing assemblies, Scandinavia | 700–1300 CE | 4 |
ancient_near_east.md |
Ancient Near East | Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, Hittite, Persian, Zoroastrian | 3000–330 BCE | 6 |
southeast_asia.md |
Southeast Asia | Khmer, Majapahit, Theravada Buddhist kingdoms, Sultanates | 800–1800 CE | 6+ |
Written law publicly inscribed to limit judicial arbitrariness. A judge who alters a verdict without justification faces removal. ~1754 BCE, Babylonian.
Punishment must correspond to the severity of the offence. Introduced a ceiling on retributive punishment in Babylonian, Assyrian, and later Mosaic law traditions.
Asha (cosmic truth/order) demands honesty in all dealings. Deception is a cosmological offense, not merely a social wrong — grounding later Persian administrative ethics.
