Romans and Law
The Roman law is considered as the greatest legacy of ancient Rome to the Western Civilization, as several existing civil and common laws in most Western countries are based on the laws introduced and developed by the Romans.
Rome's laws were first codified around 450 BC when a group of ten magistrates wrote Rome's laws on 12 wooden tablets that became known as the Twelve Tables. The legal system that evolved around these laws (known as the jus civile) applied equally to all Roman citizens and was the source of all public and private laws for a considerable period. As the Roman conquests spread far and wide, the need for a different legal system that applied to all subjects was felt. The praetor (magistrate) was given powers to define and interpret the law applicable to non-Roman citizens. A new legal system known as jus gentium thus evolved. When citizenship of Rome was extended to all free subjects of the Empire, this legal system became redundant and the city law or jus civile of Rome became the law of the empire. (Schwind, 2003)
The most important codification and re-organization of Roman law was carried out on the orders of Emperor Justinian I (483-565 AD). The set of works thus developed, known as Corpus Juris Civilis, are probably the most important legal documents ever written and are still part of esential reading by legal students around the world.
Several legal concepts such as the legal differention between contract and tort, possession and property as well as the concept of contracts being valid when there is a "meeting of minds," can be traced directly to Roman law. ("Roman Law," 2004) These laws have been adopted as part of their legal systems by most countries in Europe and America because of their highly advanced nature.
References
Schwind, Fritz. (2003) "Roman Law." Article in Encyclopedia Encarta, CD-ROM Version, 2003
Roman Law." (2004) From Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on August 25, 2004 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_law
Also, a son could marry, for Roman law had never recognized monogamous sexual relationships between slaves. Sons could also inherit property, and this possibility of inheritance was another instrument of power used by fathers against their sons. A son who had been emancipated could marry without the consent of his father. The relationship between father and son was known as "patria potestas" or the rights given to a father
Roman Civilization: The Pre-Christian Centuries The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze Roman Civilization. Specifically it will discuss the pre-Christian centuries of Roman civilization, including personal impressions, supported by cited research. The Pre-Christian centuries built the foundations of Rome and Roman civilization, and clearly show just how a major civilization develops, grows, and moves on from its roots. Early Roman civilization was complex, extremely modern for its time,
The Romans continued their contributions into the political and government sector, as well. The constitutions of various European countries have been influenced by the Romans, and the framers of the United States constitution remarked, when they were working on creating the Presidency, that they were desirous of an 'Augustan Age' (Taagepera, 1979). The legal thinking that most of the modern world has also came from the Roman law, which was
law in England are: common law, statute law, subordinate legislation, custom, and European community law. Common law: This is the cannon of law applying to the general swathes of law that are decided by the judges and adapted to changing times. Judges make its rules over the years that have relied on precedents of other cases and adapted preceding rulings to suit the circumstances of the present instance. Each new
During this Diaspora, the African Slave Trade transferred 9-12 million people from one continent to another with major repercussions on cultural and political traditions in the New World. There have been a number of modern Diasporas based on the post-Cold War world in which huge populations of refugees migrated from conflict, especially from developing countries (Southeast Asia, China, Afghanistan, Iran, Latin America, South American, Rwanda, etc.). Part 1.2.1 - Civil
E. The voices who argue that America should and could be an imperial superpower, but lacks sound practical judgment. The thesis of this paper is that the history of the Roman Empire can be matched to that of the United States in terms of economy, political power, as well as aspirations. In this sense, present day America is very similar to fourth of even fifth century Rome; this poses one stringent
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now