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Articles

The Roman state existed in practice for XIII centuries, being the power which was impacting the history. Therefore, I decided that I would tell the history of ancient Rome in the articles below, which will not necessarily cover only the Eternal City.

I encourage you to send articles and point out any corrections or inaccuracies.

Literal contracts in the Roman law

Aside from verbal, consensual and real contracts there were also literal contracts in the Roman law, which means they were made in writing. Despite few sources we know that they were quite diverse. Due to their nature it was easy to use them as evidence. They were valued for their precision and the clarity with which they stated the obligations and they could refer to both the citizens as well as the peregrines, depending on which specific type of contract was used.

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Court scene in old Rome expulsion of the Sophists

Dice in ancient Roman world

Games that use a variety of small items, such as astragals or cubes were very popular among the ancient Romans, which is confirmed to some extent by archaeological finds. As it turns out, the dice is uneven – Roman game equipment took various, sometimes even surprising forms, not always similar to those we know today.

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Cubic dice

Purity of Roman blood

In the world of ancient Romans, we can meet the concept of “blood stigma” or its contamination. The de facto love morality of those times was based on it. It was also important when getting married. No one would marry with a “contaminated” person.

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Fresco from Pompeii

Post office in ancient Rome

The development of postal services in Rome is inextricably linked with the expansion of the Empire’s borders. The need to maintain communication between the Senate and the provincial authorities meant that in the third century BCE introduced legationes liberare for officials going to the provinces. They were authorized to seize carts, animals, use accommodation, etc. Of course, needless to say, it was very onerous for the inhabitants.

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Cursus publicus - post office of ancient Rome

Perpetual lease in the Roman law

Perpetual lease, a type of limited property law, significantly evolved in Roman law with the passing time. Initially, a lease in the form of ius in agro vectigali has appeared as a law separate from the ordinary obligation agreement (locatio conductio). It happened because, in the case of locatio conductio rei (agreement to rent things, land in this case) the tenant was entitled only to short-term protection, which in some cases led to overexploitation of the farmlands.

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Roman mosaic showing work in the field

Via Appia – queen of Roman roads

Via Appia (Appian Way), also called Via Appia Antica, it was one of the oldest Roman roads We can admire numerous fragments of which to this day. The total length of the Appian road is over 530 km, which proves how well developed the Roman Empire was.

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Via Appia Antica

Philopappos Monument

At first, the Acropolis in Athens is associated mainly with monuments from the times of ancient Greece. But in the Roman period, in the years 114-116 CE, a tombstone monument to Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappus was built. The monument with an interesting background, because the inscriptions on it are written in both Greek and Latin. Both have different messages.

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The present view of the Tomb and the painting by Giovanni Battista Lusieri from 1805

Trial of Gaius Verres – governor of Sicily

The trial of Gaius Verres, governor of Sicily for fraud in 70 BCE is the best described and source-presented event showing the degree of corruption of Roman officials and the use of the provinces for their own selfish needs and the desire to get rich.

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Cicero speaking to the people

Provincial governorship in ancient Rome

The Roman state, during its five centuries of existence, conquered the entire Apennine peninsula, and its last victim was the Etruscan city of Volsinii in 264 BCE. The same year, Rome came into conflict with another power in the Mediterranean – Carthage, which caused major changes in the administrative structures of the state – namely the creation of the first province.

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Pontius Pilate in the movie The Passion of the Christ

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