Rhodian Sea Code

Summary of Rhodian Sea Code

The earliest known compilation of maritime laws, believed to have been formulated c. 900 B.C. on Rhodes. The text is lost, save the provision concerning jettisons, which has been preserved in Justinian’s Code. The jettison article deals with a ratable contribution to an owner whose merchandise has been cast overboard to save the ship. This practice has been absorbed into the law of all maritime nations, and is manifested in General Average (read this and related legal terms for further details).

(Main Author: William J. Miller)