Rhodian Sea Law

Rhodian Sea Law, body of regulations governing commercial trade and navigation in the Byzantine Empire beginning in the 7th century; it influenced the maritime law of the medieval Italian cities.

The Rhodian Sea Law was based on a statute in the Digest of the Code of Justinian commissioned in the 6th century and on maritime customary law originating on Rhodes in ancient times. The regulations concentrated on the liability for the cost of lost or damaged cargo. Cargo loss was greatest during storms, when part or all of it had to be thrown overboard in order to save the ship. Large amounts were also lost to piracy; from the 7th century on, there was increased danger of sea raids by Arab and Slavic pirates. Thus, the maritime law served as a form of insurance, dividing the cost of the losses between the shipowner, the owners of the cargo, and the passengers.

Rhodian Sea Law persisted in influence, if not in actual practice, through the 12th century. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Byzantine sea commerce dwindled, and eventually the law became obsolete.