Alluvion, is a
Roman law
Roman law is the law, legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the ''Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...
method of acquisition of heritable property (land). The typical cause is sediment (
alluvium
Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
) deposited by a river. This sediment, legally termed ''the accessory, accreses'' (i.e., merges with) a piece of land, the principal, (operating a subtype of the Roman mode of acquisition by
accession) and thus accedes to the ownership of the principal land over time.
It continues to have relevance in the
modern age
The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...
, as a result of the adoption of Roman property law by modern legal systems, primarily
civil law jurisdictions.
Scots law
Scots law () is the legal system of Scotland. It is a hybrid or mixed legal system containing civil law and common law elements, that traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. Together with English law and Northern Ireland l ...
is a notable example of the usage of alluvion within the law of
accession (accesio).
Public international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
also recognises the
acquisition of sovereignty
A number of methods of acquisition of sovereignty are or have been recognised by international law as lawful methods by which a state may acquire sovereignty over territory. International law adopts much of Roman property law in regards to acquisi ...
of virgin territory by operation of nature such as sediment deposits, again following the Roman law principles of alluvion.
See also
*
Alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to semiarid climates, but a ...
*
Alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...
*
Accession (Scots law) Accession or Accessio is method of original acquisition of property under Scots property law. It operates to allow property (the accessory) to ''merge with (or accede to)'' another object (the principal), either moveable or heritable (land). Access ...
References
Roman law
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Scots law
International law