Dirk van den Auweele and Randall Lesafeer 278 the present, should consist in a line drawn from the past to the present, and not from the present to the past. We would like to propose three changes to the traditional approach, adding that at some law schools some of these changes are already actually implemented. Firstly, more attention should be devoted to the dynamics of the historical development of the Roman law until the Justinian codification. The evolution of Roman law from the archaic period to the later empire offers a tremendous insight how a legal system changes from a primitive to a much more sofisticated society. In this way, the study of Roman law leads to an insight on a anthropological level and allows for a comprehension of the basic functions of law as they were still assessed bv early modern and even modern legal and political philosophers. Especially the study of archaic Roman law is interesting and too often neglected. An understanding of the religious and ethic function of the most ancient law systems can still be of great help fcir the understanding of non-Western nowadays legal systems. An understanding of the Roman ins gentiurn of the Republic and the early empire can still be of great help for the development for interstate and universal law. To illustrate all this, a study of the subsequent role of customary law, jurisdiction, doctrine and legislation as the dominant source in the Roman law system is quite illuminative froma antropologic point of view. It can offer students an easy way of valuing and interrelating the different historical and actual types of legal systems. Secondly, the limitation of the study of Roman lawto private lawcannot be defended. The influence of Roman public law, Roman public international law and of Roman penal law on the modern law systemhas long been established. Thirdly, it could be rewarding to study the evolution of some legal concepts of Roman lawnot only under the Roman empire, but also in the lus commune of the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Unlike what has to be said for many other European countries, Roman law and legal history has held until nowan important place in legal training at universities in Belgium, and to a lesser extend in the Netherlands. Only in recent years this place has been put in jeopardy. However, the consciousness for the need of professionals and technicians with a broad cultural and intellectual background seems to get slightly rediscovered. Scholars of Roman law and legal history could and should take this opportunity to get their approach of the law be revalued. They should however also take this opportunity to revalue their own approach of the study and teaching of Roman law and legal history and adapt it to the demands of our modern educational system. Such an approach of Roman law in particular and legal history in general would however demand a stronger presence of the discipline in the last three
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