This chapter examines the history of the civil law tradition. The role of civil law first expanded in Rome. From a time of very rigid and formalistic procedures in the early empire, with essentially only chthonic law to be applied, the civil law grew, both substantively and procedurally, until it became substantively adequate to deal with an entire range of societal problems. From the time of its rediscovery, Roman law continued to expand, from its established positions in universities and in central political authority.
