Please read through this translation of the the Twelve Tables, Rome's first written laws (also available in an abridged version here). How impressed are you with this law code? Cite an example of what you consider to be a particularly good law or a particularly bad law from this code. Explain how the law you cite would have tended to either strengthen or weaken the Roman Republic.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
The Twelve Tables
Please read through this translation of the the Twelve Tables, Rome's first written laws (also available in an abridged version here). How impressed are you with this law code? Cite an example of what you consider to be a particularly good law or a particularly bad law from this code. Explain how the law you cite would have tended to either strengthen or weaken the Roman Republic.
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I found this law code very interesting. When you consider the time period in which it was written.
ReplyDeleteThe code is impressive and it covers every aspect of Roman society. Anything that the Romans would have problems with this law code takes of. The law I found most interesting was Table 3 law 3. Regarding the heir to an estate if the father of a family dies his son will receive his estate, but if he doesn't have a son the oldest living male relative will become the heir. This law effects the Roman Republic in both a negative and positive way. Negatively it could cause fighting amongst families, but positively it will allow for efficient transfer of power in the family.
For any ancient society to have a complex code of laws is an impressive feat. Rome not only had that but their system of laws was very in depth. They ranged from normal crimes to who took over a family. They put time into thinking about the laws.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Table VIII, this table covered the punishments for crimes like violence. I thought that it was pretty close to what today's society still believes in today. From the death penalty to protecting your property. Although I think #23 and #26 are a little harsh I think they had a pretty good system.
Rome's law system is really an impressive code. It covers main concerns of the time thoroughly. These concerns ranged from the rights of the father, property claims, and court appearances.
ReplyDeleteOne law that I found to be particularly interesting was under the section VII. The law states " Anyone who, by means of incantations and magic arts, prevents grain or crops of any kind belonging to another from growing, shall be sacrificed to Ceres." This serves to be a bad law in my opinion because how does one prove that the accused was responsible? Even if at the time they did believe magic was a capable way of destroying crops how would they find evidence to support their claim? It is an interesting law to put into effect and probably made farmers feel somewhat protected by the law.
Overall I would say the Roman's law system was, while rough in some areas, ahead of its time and an influential part of the law systems we see today.
-Zack Krage
The law code of the Romans appears to be thorough and well complete as it relates to the affairs of the Ancient Era. Main areas such as religious law, ownerships, properties, punishments, and reparations are all covered and are detailed from what the translation tells a reader.
ReplyDeleteA certain concept I found in many of the laws to be effective was the concept of usucapation. This concept laid out the rules for coming into ownership of many things including property and wives. It stated that there was a set time limit (1-2 years on most conflicts) that in that time span if you lived on or made improvements on the land it became yours by right and then you were protected by the other tables that dealt with successions and guardianships. A man would have to harbor a woman for 3 days for her to become his wife. The usucaption concept is extremely interesting.
A law I found to be a rather bad one was Table 4 Rule 3 that stated a father had the right to murder his "monstrous" son and was compelled to do so immediately. Ah, the Romans so advanced for their time, could not escape at least some form of Ancient Era barbarism!
-Jackson Pasco
I was impressed by the code because it covered a lot of the issues that were happening in the society back then. One of the codes I didn’t like was this one “A dreadfully deformed child shall be quickly killed.” Because I think no matter what you look like you should be able to live and not be killed because you are deformed. I don’t know if this law either strengthen or weaken the Roman Republic. If you spin it to where they were trying to have all the strong and “normal” looking was live because it made the look powerful and they didn’t have deformed people living then it make it look like they are perfect. --kirk bender
ReplyDeleteI thought the laws code of Rome is interesting and somewhat bizarre.I also found some of them them confusing. I choose table 6, number 10 to be a very reasonable law. I don't think it worked out well for a society if you have many people just constantly divorcing for no good reason.
ReplyDeleteChristina Grimme
Reading these laws I noticed how much morals differ between their society and our society. The two main differences are that of slavery and killing of "deformed children." I understand that slavery in that society was different from the slavery that we are exposed to and they just wished to keep their society strong. However, it is still hard for someone from this time period to try to understand and imagine living with those morals being acceptable.
ReplyDeleteOne big similarity I noticed between these laws and modern laws are how much they are geared to the protecting of personal property. A vast majority are written for this purpose even today.
One law in particular that I like is Table II, Number 4. I like how if someone is theiving in your house you have the legal right to defend you and your property even if that results in the death of the theif. This, in my opinion, is something that anyone should have the right to do, even today.
Matthew Remmich
The first thing I notice when I look at the laws the fact that their are many what we would call today civil matters. Many of these laws have to do with debt, composition, and contracts. This is much different then say earlier law codes that dealt more with criminal offences like killing another human. I also find it funny how the Romans talk about how much is need for each offense comparative to the eye for an eye philosophy of earlier laws. -Trent Dean
ReplyDelete