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factbase-ancient-history/legal-codes/twelve-tables.md
daniel 01866caf6a Fix 656 lazy temporal answers: replace 'static historical fact' with source-attributed answers
- Updated perspective.md: require source citations in temporal answers
- Filed feature request #75 for BCE temporal tag support (tested 7 formats, all rejected)
- Built batch script to replace all 'Static historical fact' answers with proper
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- Fixed source date detection bug (modern books about ancient figures)
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2026-02-22 23:00:39 +00:00

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Twelve Tables

Twelve Tables

Overview

The Twelve Tables (~451450 BCE) were the foundation of Roman law, the first written legal code of the Roman Republic. They were created in response to plebeian demands for publicly accessible laws.

Key Facts

  • Date: ~451450 BCE
  • Issuer: Decemviri (commission of ten men)
  • Language: Archaic Latin
  • Context: Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians

Content

  • Originally inscribed on twelve bronze tablets displayed in the Roman Forum
  • Covered: Court procedure, debt, family law, property, inheritance, torts, public law 1
  • Established legal equality (in principle) between patricians and plebeians
  • Prohibited intermarriage between classes (later repealed by Lex Canuleia, 445 BCE)

Significance

  • Foundation of all subsequent Roman law (ius civile)
  • First written Roman law, ending patrician monopoly on legal interpretation
  • Roman schoolchildren memorized them for centuries
  • Original tablets lost (possibly in the Gallic sack of Rome, 390 BCE) 2
  • Survived through quotations in later Roman legal and literary sources


Review Queue

  • @q[temporal] Line 10: "Date: ~451450 BCE" - when was this true?

450 BCE event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 . BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.

  • @q[temporal] Line 11: "Issuer: Decemviri (commission of ten men)" - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 12: "Language: Archaic Latin" - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 13: "Context: Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians" - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 16: "Originally inscribed on twelve bronze tablets displayed in the Roman Forum" - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 17: "Covered: Court procedure, debt, family law, property, inheritance, torts, pub..." - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 18: "Established legal equality (in principle) between patricians and plebeians" - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 19: "Prohibited intermarriage between classes (later repealed by Lex Canuleia, 4..." - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 22: "Foundation of all subsequent Roman law (ius civile)" - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 23: "First written Roman law, ending patrician monopoly on legal interpretation" - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 24: "Roman schoolchildren memorized them for centuries" - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[temporal] Line 25: "Original tablets lost (possibly in the Gallic sack of Rome, 390 BCE) 2 " - when was this true?

390 BCE event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 . BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.

  • @q[temporal] Line 26: "Survived through quotations in later Roman legal and literary sources" - when was this true?

Historical event. Attested by Crawford (1996) 1 ; Watson (1975) 2 .

  • @q[missing] Line 10: "Date: ~451450 BCE" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 11: "Issuer: Decemviri (commission of ten men)" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 12: "Language: Archaic Latin" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 13: "Context: Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 16: "Originally inscribed on twelve bronze tablets displayed in the Roman Forum" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 18: "Established legal equality (in principle) between patricians and plebeians" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 19: "Prohibited intermarriage between classes (later repealed by Lex Canuleia, 4..." - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 22: "Foundation of all subsequent Roman law (ius civile)" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 23: "First written Roman law, ending patrician monopoly on legal interpretation" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 24: "Roman schoolchildren memorized them for centuries" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[missing] Line 26: "Survived through quotations in later Roman legal and literary sources" - what is the source?

Crawford (1996) 1 , Watson (1975) 2

  • @q[stale] Line 17: "Covered: Court procedure, debt, family law, property, inheritance, torts, pub..." - Crawford source from 1996 may be outdated, is this still accurate?

Scholarship remains current. Crawford's work on early Roman law is still authoritative.

  • @q[stale] Line 25: "Original tablets lost (possibly in the Gallic sack of Rome, 390 BCE) 2 " - Watson source from 1975 may be outdated, is this still accurate?

Scholarship remains current. Watson's work on Roman legal history is still foundational.


  1. Crawford, M.H. Roman Statutes (1996) ↩︎

  2. Watson, A. Rome of the XII Tables (Princeton, 1975) ↩︎