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The parchment codex called ''Littera Florentina'' is the closest survivor to an official version of the '' Digest'' of
Gianfranco Purpura, "La Littera Florentina"
(in Italian)
''The Roman Law Library'' by Professor Yves Lassard and Alexandr Koptev
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160309083347/https://www.law.berkeley.edu/library/robbins/pdf/RomanLegalTradition.pdf Pdf including illustrations of the Littera Florentina {{Authority control 6th-century Latin books Law books Byzantine law Latin prose texts Roman law 6th-century manuscripts Justinian I
The parchment codex called ''Littera Florentina'' is the closest survivor to an official version of the '' Digest'' of 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 ...
promulgated by Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
in 530–533.
The codex, of 907 leaves, is written in the Byzantine-Ravenna uncial
Uncial is a majuscule Glaister, Geoffrey Ashall. (1996) ''Encyclopedia of the Book''. 2nd edn. New Castle, DE, and London: Oak Knoll Press & The British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one ...
s characteristic of Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, but which has recently been recognized in legal and literary texts produced in Alexandria and the Levant as well. E.A. Lowe refers to this script as "b-r uncial". Close scrutiny dates the manuscript between the official issuance in 533 and the issuance of 557 that included Justinian's recent enactments, the ''Novellae Constitutiones
The ("new constitutions"; grc, Νεαραὶ διατάξεις), or ''Justinian's Novels'', are now considered one of the four major units of Roman law initiated by Roman emperor Justinian I in the course of his long reign (AD 527–565). The o ...
'', "New Constitutions", making it an all-but contemporary and all-but official source.
Marginal notes suggest that the codex was in Amalfi
Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic c ...
—part of the Byzantine territory in Italy governed by the Exarchate of Ravenna
The Exarchate of Ravenna ( la, Exarchatus Ravennatis; el, Εξαρχάτο της Ραβέννας) or of Italy was a lordship of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) in Italy, from 584 to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the ...
in the 6th century—and that it passed to Pisa
Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
in the 12th century; thus, during the Middle Ages the codex was known as the ''Littera Pisana'', until the codex formed part of the war booty removed from Pisa to Florence after the war of 1406.
The manuscript became one of Florence's most treasured possessions. It was only shown to very important persons. Scholarly access was difficult. It took more than three centuries before a reliable edition of the ''Littera Florentina'' was finally made available. Nowadays two facsimile editions are at the disposal of scholars.''Iustiniani Augusti Digestorum seu Pandectarum Codex Florentinus olim Pisanus phototypice expressus'', I-X, (Rome, 1902-1910). ''Justiniani Augusti pandectarum codex Florentinus'', Curaverunt A. Corbino & B. Santalucia, (Firenze: Olschki, 1988).
The importance of the manuscript lies in the fact that is an almost unique witness of the original Justinianian Digest. Most medieval manuscripts of the Digest have a substantially different text. Its sudden reappearance in the late eleventh or early twelfth century has been much debated by legal historians.
Notes
Enrico Spagnesi, ''Le Pandette di Giustiniano: storia e fortuna della 'Littera Florentina': mostra di codici documenti,'' (exhibition catalogue) June-August 1983 (Florence: Olschki) 1983.See also
* ''Corpus Juris Civilis
The ''Corpus Juris'' (or ''Iuris'') ''Civilis'' ("Body of Civil Law") is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, issued from 529 to 534 by order of Justinian I, Byzantine Emperor. It is also sometimes referred ...
''
* Byzantine law
Byzantine law was essentially a continuation of Roman law with increased Orthodox Christian and Hellenistic influence. Most sources define ''Byzantine law'' as the Roman legal traditions starting after the reign of Justinian I in the 6th century ...
* Glossator
The scholars of the 11th- and 12th-century legal schools in Italy, France and Germany are identified as glossators in a specific sense. They studied Roman law based on the '' Digesta'', the ''Codex'' of Justinian, the ''Authenticum'' (an abridged ...
s
Bibliography
Bernardo Moraes, ''Manual de Introdução ao Digesto'', São Paulo, YK Editora, 2017.External links
Gianfranco Purpura, "La Littera Florentina"
(in Italian)
''The Roman Law Library'' by Professor Yves Lassard and Alexandr Koptev
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160309083347/https://www.law.berkeley.edu/library/robbins/pdf/RomanLegalTradition.pdf Pdf including illustrations of the Littera Florentina {{Authority control 6th-century Latin books Law books Byzantine law Latin prose texts Roman law 6th-century manuscripts Justinian I