Files
factbase-ancient-history/legal-codes/twelve-tables.md

6.0 KiB
Raw Blame History

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. @t[451 BCE..450 BCE]

Key Facts

  • Date: ~451450 BCE @t[451 BCE..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  • Prohibited intermarriage between classes (later repealed by Lex Canuleia, 445 BCE) @t[=445 BCE]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) @t[=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) ↩︎