5.5 KiB
Twelve Tables
Twelve Tables
Overview
The Twelve Tables (~451–450 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: ~451–450 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- Prohibited intermarriage between classes (later repealed by Lex Canuleia, 445 BCE)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: ~451–450 BCE" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 11: "Issuer: Decemviri (commission of ten men)" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 12: "Language: Archaic Latin" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 13: "Context: Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 16: "Originally inscribed on twelve bronze tablets displayed in the Roman Forum" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 17: "Covered: Court procedure, debt, family law, property, inheritance, torts, pub..." - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 18: "Established legal equality (in principle) between patricians and plebeians" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 19: "Prohibited intermarriage between classes (later repealed by Lex Canuleia, 4..." - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 22: "Foundation of all subsequent Roman law (ius civile)" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 23: "First written Roman law, ending patrician monopoly on legal interpretation" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 24: "Roman schoolchildren memorized them for centuries" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 25: "Original tablets lost (possibly in the Gallic sack of Rome, 390 BCE) 2 " - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[temporal]Line 26: "Survived through quotations in later Roman legal and literary sources" - when was this true?
Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
@q[missing]Line 10: "Date: ~451–450 BCE" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 11: "Issuer: Decemviri (commission of ten men)" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 12: "Language: Archaic Latin" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 13: "Context: Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 16: "Originally inscribed on twelve bronze tablets displayed in the Roman Forum" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 18: "Established legal equality (in principle) between patricians and plebeians" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 19: "Prohibited intermarriage between classes (later repealed by Lex Canuleia, 4..." - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 22: "Foundation of all subsequent Roman law (ius civile)" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 23: "First written Roman law, ending patrician monopoly on legal interpretation" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 24: "Roman schoolchildren memorized them for centuries" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 26: "Survived through quotations in later Roman legal and literary sources" - what is the source?
@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.