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This module aims to introduce students to the full range of legal practices developed by Roman lawyers between the Republican and the Imperial period. Roman legislation is studied in conjunction with its impact on society, and the readings will focus on case-studies that expose Roman culture and its responses to political upheaval. Roman sources show popular characters such as Cicero engage tirelessly with Late Republican political violence in the lawcourts. By the second century AD, Rome had grown to an immense empire that embraced the entire Mediterranean. Roman Law and administration survived in the Middle Ages, and continued to exercise a strong influence on the legislation of many Western countries (particularly France, Italy and Germany) and of their colonies overseas (e.g. Sri Lanka). The module will look at laws concerning the status of people, criminal law, succession laws, and law of property and obligations. The evolution of Roman law during the Late Antique period will be studied through an overview of the legislation of other European people (the ‘barbarians’) and of the innovations introduced by Justinian in the sixth century AD.
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