What was Justinian's contribution to Roman law?

• A. A new military conquest strategy
• B. The Gregorian calendar
• C. A new legal code compiled into 50 books containing 4652 laws
• D. The Code of Hammurabi

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is the unification and systematization of law. Justinian’s lasting contribution was to pull together centuries of Roman legal material into a single, coherent code—the Corpus Juris Civilis. This monumental compilation, often called Justinian’s Code, includes the Codex Justinianus, the Digest (which spans 50 books and about 4,652 laws), the Institutes as an introductory text for students, and the Novellae containing later laws. By organizing scattered statutes, imperial pronouncements, and juristic writings into a clear, accessible framework, Justinian preserved Roman legal principles and made them teachable and referenceable. This codification influenced legal practice for centuries, shaping medieval European law and the later development of civil law systems around the world. The other options point to different things—a military strategy, a calendar reform, or an ancient Mesopotamian code—so they don’t fit the idea of creating a comprehensive legal system from Roman law.