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Rome - Roman Law - Government

Resources on the Roman legal system, the types of government, the Roman officials, the senate and the role of the people in government and the constitution.
12 Tables
The laws of the twelve Roman tables.
12 Tablets - Government of Rome After the Kings
Following the expulsion of the last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud, the patricians took control and the 12 tablets became law.
7 Roman Kings - Numa Pompilius
Information on the pious, Sabine, second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius.
7 Kings of Rome - Tarquin
L. Tarquinius Priscus (Tarquin) was the first Etruscan king of Rome.
7 Kings of Rome - Romulus
Romulus was the first king of Rome and the founder of the city of Rome.
Ancient Rome Glossary - Terms in Ancient Roman History
Short entries and definitions of ancient Roman historical terms.
Curia
The curia was the senate house where Roman senators met during the Republic.
Cursus Honorum - Roman Hierarchy of Offices - Cursus Honorum
The order of advancement through elected offices (magistracies) in Republican Rome was known as the Cursus Honorum.
Eras of Roman History
The 4 periods of Roman History, Regal (Regnal), Republican, Imperial and Byzantine, correspond with changes in the central government.
Fasces
The fasces were a symbol of Roman power.
Last Best Chance to Defeat Alaric and the Goths
Besides being jealous of Commander Stilicho's imperial ties, Praetorian Prefect Rufinus had another reason to keep Stilicho from defeating Alaric and the Goths.
Legal Opinions on Prostitution
Laws about and restricting prostitution.
Licinian Rogations
The Licinian Rogations were proposals and then Roman law designed to help the plebeians of Rome in the fourth century B.C.
Officium - Roman Duty
Officium is a term used by the Romans for duty.
Proletarii - Class of Ancient Roman People - the proletarii
Proletarii were members of the low class of ancient Romans.
Roman Law - Legal Concepts Owed to the Ancient Romans
We owe the ancient Romans a debt of gratitude for many of our modern legal concepts.
Roman Republican Government
Short descriptions of the three branches of Roman government during the Republic.
SPQR - Senate and Roman People - What does SPQR Stand for?
The abbreviation SPQR means the Senate and the Roman People, but what is the Latin?
Women - 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
Women in Roman law from the 1911 Encyclopedia, on the About.com Guide to Women's History site.
The 12 Tables
The basis for Roman law. Table I concerns having both accuser and accused present; Table III with paying off an assessment or being put into chains; Table IV with inheritance and disposing of deformed infants; Table IX with bribery.
The Roman Way of Declaring War
From Ancient History Sourcebook, the passage from Livy on the rituals Romans used when declaring war.
Smith's Dictionary - Roman Law
From Bill Thayer's Lacus Curtius site, the law entries from Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
Rome and Carthage Compared
From the Ancient History Sourcebook. Polybius compares the governments of Rome and Carthage.
Roman Law
An examination of the Roman legal system invented by the Romans more than 2000 years ago, which continues to influence legal thinking and legal practice even today.
Red Rampant
Roman military site for enthusiasts and wargamers. It lists the Roman legions, campaigns (with maps and timelines), a glossary with images, and miscellaneous instructions for wargamers.
M. Tullius Cicero: From "On the Laws"
Portions of Cicero's dialogue on Roman law, from the Ancient History Sourcebook.
Edward Gibbon
"The Idea of Roman Jurisprudence," by Edward Gibbon from Ancient History Sourcebook. Chapter 44 of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Diotima's Law Bibliography
Diotima's article collection on law of various cultures.
Bernard Hibbitts
Roman Law suggested and required reading list for University of Pittsburgh Law School Ancient Law course. Also see Law of Ancient Israel, Mesopotamian Law, and Greek Law reading list.
Appellatio
From Smith's Dictionary entry on Roman law in Bill Thayer's Lacus Curtius site, the terms appellatio and its verb appellare (appellate) refer to "the application of an individual to a magistrate, and particularly to a tribune, in order to protect himself from some wrong inflicted, or threatened to be inflicted."
An Analysis of the Roman Government
Polybius describes the types of Roman government, the Roman officials, the senate and the role of the people in government at the end of the Punic War.

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