Curiosities of ancient Rome (Law)

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Law offers interesting facts about the legal system of ancient Rome and the rules that governed public and private life in the Roman Empire. This category includes lesser-known facts, interesting details, and unusual information about Roman statutes, legal institutions, the judiciary, and the everyday functioning of law in the ancient world.

Deposit in the Roman law

Apart from loan for consumption (mutuum) there were other real contracts – deposit (depositum), loan for use (commodatum) and pledge (pignus). Originally there was only the loan but with time the group of real contracts…Więcej

Ancient universities of law

The knowledge of the origins of universities is mostly found in the Middle Ages, referring to the founding of the first university in Bologna, which took place around 1088. Of course, this university achieved great…Więcej

Counterfeit according to Roman law

Due to the growing administration and advanced law, ancient Rome finally had to deal with the issue of document forgery, and it was one of the most serious felonies. The Law of XII Tables contained…Więcej

Loan for consumption in Roman law

Real contracts were the oldest type of contracts in the Roman law. Eventually there were several types of contracts in this category: loan for consumption (mutuum), deposit (depositum), loan for use (commodatum) and pledge (pignus).…Więcej

Ways of doing business in Rome. Companies

Companies understood today as legal entities of commercial law did not exist in ancient Rome, but there were a similar legal institutions, echoes of which can be found in today’s law. The company (societas) was…Więcej

Roman women and ancient business

Women in the Roman world did not have the same position as men; e.g. they could not vote in assemblies or hold public office. On the other hand, they could own land, write their own…Więcej

Legal position of women in Rome

What was the legal position of women in ancient Rome? Books on Roman law, including, Witold Wołodkiewicz’s “Prawo rzymskie, Słownik Encyklopedyczny” provide many interesting facts about the rights and obligations that have changed over the…Więcej

Marriage and children in Roman law

In 18 BCE formed lex Iulia de maritandis ordinibus, introducing the obligation to remain married, and in the year 9 CE lex Papia Poppea, imposing the obligation to have children. Both laws apply to both…Więcej

Patricide was severely punished in Rome

In Rome, patricide was considered one of the most socially offensive crimes. The punishment for such an offense in Latin was: poena cullei. The earliest record of our punishment known to us comes from around…Więcej

Did suicide in ancient Rome require agreement from senate?

Suicide was seen by the ancient Romans as a law that had no legal consequences. If a Roman citizen wanted to commit suicide, he could do so, with a few exceptions. Slaves, soldiers and persons…Więcej

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