Mathematician Alain Connes [cites][1] a French legal rule that explicitly accounts for propagation of information at finite speeds substantially below the speed of light:

> There was a legal rule according to which a law decreed in Paris on
> day *J* was applicable in Paris on day J, but it was valid at distance *n*
> km of the capital only on day J + 1, at distance 2 *n* km on day *J* + 2,
> and so forth, where *n* is the number of kilometers covered by a
> stagecoach in one day.

Large ancient empires, such as the Roman Empire, must have seen similar situations very often. (E.g. the emperor makes decision *X* in Rome on day *J*, but it's yet unbeknown to the governor of a remote province when he partially counters it with decision *Y* on day *J* + 1).

How did the Romans and others deal with these situations? Was it completely ad-hoc or did they also have special applicable rules in their legal codes? (Although I'm referring to an emperor in my specific example and emperors may not have been constrained by legal codes, relevant situations must have also occurred e.g. in private business across the Mediterranean.)


  [1]: http://www.amazon.com/Triangle-Thought-Alain-Connes/dp/082182614X