This is a partial list of Roman laws. 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 ...

(

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''lex'') is usually named for the sponsoring legislator and designated by the adjectival form of his ''

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

'' name ('' nomen gentilicum''), in the feminine form because the

noun A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...

''lex'' (plural ''leges'') is of feminine grammatical gender. When a law is the initiative of the two

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

s, it is given the name of both, with the ''nomen'' of the senior consul first. Sometimes a law is further specified by a short phrase describing the content of the law, to distinguish that law from others sponsored by members of the same ''gens''.

Roman laws

Post-Roman law codes based on Roman legislation

*''

lex Romana Burgundionum The ''Lex Burgundionum'' (Latin for Burgundian Laws, also ''Lex Gundobada'') refers to the law code of the Burgundians, probably issued by king Gundobad. It is influenced by Roman law and deals with domestic laws concerning marriage and inherit ...

'' one of the law tables for Romans after the fall of the Western Roman Empire *'' lex Romana Visigothorum'' (AD 506) one of the law tables for Romans after the fall of the Western Roman Empire

General denominations

*'' lex agraria'' A law regulating distribution of public lands *'' lex annalis'' A law regarding qualifications for magistracies, such as age or experience *'' lex ambitus'' A law involving electoral bribery and corruption; see ''

ambitus In ancient Roman law, ''ambitus'' was a crime of political corruption, mainly a candidate's attempt to influence the outcome (or direction) of an election through bribery or other forms of soft power. The Latin word ''ambitus'' is the origin ...

'' *''lex curiata'' Any law passed by the ''

comitia curiata The Curiate Assembly (''comitia curiata'') was the principal assembly that evolved in shape and form over the course of the Roman Kingdom until the Comitia Centuriata organized by Servius Tullius. During these first decades, the people of Rome w ...

''. These included Roman adoptions, particularly so-called "testamentary adoptions" (famously in 59 BC when the

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

Clodius Pulcher was adopted into a

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

'' in order to run for the office of tribune of the ''plebs'') and the ''

lex curiata de imperio In the constitution of ancient Rome, the ''lex curiata de imperio'' (plural ''leges curiatae'') was the law confirming the rights of higher magistrates to hold power, or ''imperium''. In theory, it was passed by the ''comitia curiata'', which was ...

'' which granted ''imperium'' to senior Roman magistrates under the Republic, likely also ratifying the choice of a new king during the monarchy. It was the traditional basis for the later lex de Imperio allowing imperial succession. *'' lex frumentaria'' A law regulating the price of

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

*'' lex sumptuaria'' A law regulating the use of luxury items and public manifestations of wealth

Resolutions of the Senate

*''

Senatus consultum A ''senatus consultum'' (Latin: decree of the senate, plural: ''senatus consulta'') is a text emanating from the senate in Ancient Rome. It is used in the modern phrase ''senatus consultum ultimum''. Translated into French as ''sénatus-consulte' ...

'' A

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

decree *''

Senatus consultum ultimum The ''senatus consultum ultimum'' ("final decree of the Senate", often abbreviated to SCU) is the modern term given to resolutions of the Roman Senate lending its moral support for magistrates to use the full extent of their powers and ignore th ...

'' or ''Senatus consultum de re publica defenda'' a late republic alternative to nominating a

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...

*''

Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus The ''senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus'' ("senatorial decree concerning the Bacchanalia") is a notable Old Latin inscription dating to 186 BC. It was discovered in 1640 at Tiriolo, in Calabria, southern Italy. Published by the presiding praetor, ...

'' (186 BC) concerning the

Bacchanalia The Bacchanalia were unofficial, privately funded popular Roman festivals of Bacchus, based on various ecstatic elements of the Greek Dionysia. They were almost certainly associated with Rome's native cult of Liber, and probably arrived in Rome ...

*'' Senatus consultum Claudianum'' (AD 52) concerning slaves *'' Senatus consultum Macedonianum'' concerning loan/mutuum (time of

Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...

) *'' Senatus consultum Neronianum'' (c. AD 100) concerning ''legatum'' *'' Senatus consultum Orphitianum'' (c. AD 200) concerning inheritance *'' Senatus consultum Pegasianum'' (c. AD 100) concerning ''fideicommissum'' *''

Senatus consultum Silanianum The Senate was the governing and advisory assembly of the aristocracy in the ancient Roman Republic. It was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the Roman consul, consuls, and later by the Roman censor, censors. After a Ro ...

'' (AD 10) concerning slaves *'' Senatus consultum Tertullianum'' concerning inheritance (time of

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

) *'' Senatus consultum Vellaeanum'' (AD 46) concerning ''intercedere''

Other

*''

Constitution of the Roman Republic The constitution of the Roman Republic was a set of uncodified norms and customs which, together with various written laws, guided the procedural governance of the Roman Republic. The constitution emerged from that of the Roman kingdom, evolve ...

'' Set the separation of powers and checks and balances of the Roman Republic *'' Acceptilatio'' spoken statement of debt or obligation release *''

Constitutio Antoniniana The ''Constitutio Antoniniana'' (Latin for: "Constitution r Edictof Antoninus") (also called the Edict of Caracalla or the Antonine Constitution) was an edict issued in AD 212, by the Roman Emperor Caracalla. It declared that all free men in t ...

'' granted citizenship to the Empire's freemen *''

Corpus Iuris 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 ...

'' codification by emperor

Justinian 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 ...

*''

Stipulatio ''Stipulatio'' was the basic form of contract in Roman law. It was made in the format of question and answer. Capacity In order for a contract to be valid, parties must have capacity: both ''intellectus'' ("understanding") and '' voluntas'' ("wi ...

'' basic oral

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

*''

Twelve Tables The Laws of the Twelve Tables was the legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. Formally promulgated in 449 BC, the Tables consolidated earlier traditions into an enduring set of laws.Crawford, M.H. 'Twelve Tables' in Simon Hornblowe ...

'' The first set of Roman laws published by the ''

Decemviri The decemviri or decemvirs (Latin for "ten men") were some of the several 10-man commissions established by the Roman Republic. The most important were those of the two Decemvirates, formally the " decemvirate with consular power for writing ...

'' in 451 BC, which would be the starting point of the elaborate Roman constitution. The twelve tables covered issues of civil, criminal and military law. Every Roman that went to school was supposed to know them by heart.

References

Bibliography

* Brennan, T. Corey, ''The Praetorship in the Roman Republic'', Oxford University Press, 2000. *

François Hinard François Hinard (27 September 1941 - 19 September 2008) was a French historian of the Roman Republic. Work Books *1976: ''Introduction bibliographique pour l’étude de l’Antiquité'' (in collaboration with Georges Losfeld, pour la par ...

, ''Rome, la dernière république, Recueil d'articles de François Hinard, textes réunis et présentés par Estelle Bertrand'', Ausonius, Pessac, 2011. *

Ronald Syme Sir Ronald Syme, (11 March 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. He was regarded as the greatest historian of ancient Rome since Theodor Mommsen and the most brilliant exponent of the history of the Roman ...

,
Ten Tribunes
, ''The Journal of Roman Studies'', 1963, Vol. 53, Parts 1 and 2 (1963), pp. 55–60. * Walbank, F. W., et al., ''The Cambridge Ancient History, vol. VII, part 2, The Rise of Rome to 220 BC'', Cambridge University Press (1989).

External links

* * {{Ancient Rome topics *

Laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

Roman laws This is a partial list of Roman laws. A Roman law (Latin: ''lex'') is usually named for the sponsoring legislator and designated by the adjective, adjectival form of his ''gens'' name (''Roman naming convention, nomen gentilicum''), in the feminine ...