Introduction. S. V. Yushkov laid the foundations of Soviet historical and legal science. Russian law history, however, initially had a number of features that have become an integral part of the Russian academic tradition: firstly, archaeological investigation and research; secondly, a thorough historical and philological analysis of monuments. Theoretical analysis. These features were established by G. F. Miller and V. N. Tatishchev's activities and confirmed by the research of the members of N. P. Rumyantsev's circle.