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The Roman Law Articles of Smith's Dictionary

[image ALT: A 2‑story porticoed building with a sloping roof, depicting an ancient Roman basilica; on either side, a bundle of wooden rods tied around an axe, depicting the fasces, or symbol of state power in ancient Rome. On this site, the image serves as an iconic representation of Roman law.]

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.:
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities
John Murray, London, 1875.

For general information about Smith's Dictionary, and entries other than law (currently numbering about 200), including articles in the related fields of political life and government, see its homepage.

This index page collects the law articles in the Dictionary, for two reasons. The first is almost trivial: you now have here a more manageable index in the field of law, unobscured by all the other material.

The second reason is more interesting. In inputting the various articles in the Dictionary, I gradually realized that the Roman Law information in Smith's is qualitatively different from the other material: it's as if there were a second 'concealed' dictionary within the first. The law articles, almost all of them written by one man, George Long, M.A., Fellow of Trinity College, while constituting no more than a very basic primer of the subject, are considerably better and more scholar­ly than the average article on other topics; a fact that William Smith more or less acknowledges in his preface, where Mr. Long's contributions are specially mentioned at some length.

Now I came to George Long's articles completely ignorant of Roman law and may thus be utterly mistaken in my assessment of them. I should also point out that while the archaeological and other articles in this edition of the Dictionary seem to have been written, or at least revised, close to the year in which it was published, the law articles seem to have been written in around 1845 and undergone no revision. They are thus 30 years older than the rest of the Dictionary, which itself is no spring chicken: the study of Roman Law has much developed since, and continues to develop.

Those of you who know Roman Law are therefore kindly requested to do no more than smile at my appreciation of these articles, and write me to correct it if you feel so inclined; those of you who come to the subject for the first time should certainly not take my opinion for gospel.

Roman Law Articles republished on my site
(major articles are in boldface)

A reminder also that new law articles continue to be added from time to time:
the What's New Page is here.
Topic Areas Entries
The Law

Jus • Lex

civil rights

Caput • Actor • Aerarii • Asylum • Civitas • Collegium • Colonatus (serfdom in Late Antiquity) • Curator • Curius • Dediticii • Diploma • Immunitas • Liber • Libertus (freedmen) • Nexum • Postliminium • Servus (slavery) • Tutor

contracts and obligations

Obligationes • Acceptilatio • Arra • Bona Fides • Caupo (article on the legal liabilities of innkeepers) • Cautio • Commissoria Lex • Commodatum • Depositum • Donatio • Donatio Mortis Causa • Emtio et Venditio • Fiducia • Locatio et Conductio • Mandatum • Mora • Mutuum • Pignus (bond, pledge, lien, mortgage, etc.) • Praes • Societas

crimes and torts

Crimen • Calumnia • Culpa • Damnum Injuria Datum • Falsum (fraud) • Furtum (theft) • Incendium (loosely: arson) • Injuria • Latrocinium (robbery) • Lenocinium (pimping) • Majestas (treason, sedition, etc.) • Peculatus (embezzlement) • Plagium (slave kidnapping) • Repetundae (bribery) • Sacrilegium • Veneficium (poisoning) • Vis (inciting, planning, or abetting violence)

government & magistrates

Aediles • Apparitores • Asiarchae • Censor • Centumviri • Colonia • Comes • Comitia • Consul • Consularis • Curatores • Curia • Decemviri • Dictator • Ducenarii • Duumviri • Foederatae Civitates • Honores • Illustres • Intercessio • Interrex, Interregnum • Judex Pedaneus • Magistratus • Medix Tuticus • Pagi (and Pagani) • Perduellionis Duumviri • Praefectus Annonae • Praefectus Classis • Praefectus Praetorio • Praefectus Urbi • Praetor • Proconsul • Provincia • Quaestor • Quinqueviri • Rex • Salarium • The Senate • Socii • Stipendiarii • Tribunus • Viator • Vigintisexviri/Vigintiviri

land & property

Ager • Bona • Possessio • Accessio • Alluvio • Aquae Pluviae Arcenda Actio • Bonorum Cessio • Bonorum Emtio • Commissum • Confusio • Damnum • Donationes inter Virum et Uxorem • Donatio propter Nuptias • Dos (dowry) • Emphyteusis (a type of lease) • In Jure Cessio • Mancipium • Nexum • Occupatio • Praeda (booty) • Praedium • Sectio (forced sale) • Servitutes • Superficies • Usucapio

laws & codification

Acta • Album • Basilica • Breviarium • Codex Gregorianus et Hermogenianus • Constitutiones • Decretum • Edictum • Edictum Theodorici • Institutiones (The Institutes) • Jus Aelianum • Jus Civile Flavianum • Jus Civile Papirianum • Justinian Code • Novellae • Orationes Principum • Pandectae (The Digest) • Senatusconsultum • Theodosian Code

leges
(specific laws)

The 7500‑word article LEGES provides summaries of about 200 named laws, and links to more important articles on the following laws:

Lex XII Tabularum (Law of the Twelve Tables) • Agrariae Leges • Frumentariae Leges • Lex Aelia Sentia • Lex Cincia • Leges Clodiae • Leges Corneliae • Leges Juliae • Lex Julia Municipalis • Lex Julia et Papia Poppaea • Lex Junia Norbana • Lex Licinia • Leges Pompeiae • Lex Publilia not the same as the Leges Publiliae • Lex Regia (Lex de Imperio) • Lex Rubria • Leges Semproniae • Lex Thoria • Leges Valeriae • Leges Valeriae et Horatiae • Lex Voconia • Sumtuariae Leges

For surviving texts of individual laws, see Aleksandr Koptev's site.
marriage and family

Matrimonium • Adulterium • Affinitas • Cognati (and Agnati) • Concubina • Contubernales • Divortium (divorce) • Donationes inter Virum et Uxorem • Donatio propter Nuptias • Dos (dowry) • Familia • Gens • Incestum

officers

Curator • Tutor

persons

Adoptio • Cliens • Collegium • Domicilium • Impubes • Infans • Ingenui • Libertus (freedmen) • Mancipii Causa (and Emancipatio) • Patronus • Universitas

practitioners

Assessor • Judex • Jurisconsulti

procedure

Actio • Actio ad Exhibendum • Actio de Recepto • Appellatio • Assertor • Auditorium • Compensatio • Confessoria Actio • Dejecti Effusive Actio • Emancipatio • Evictio • Exercitoria Actio • Fictio • Imperium • Institoria Actio • Intercessio • Interdictum • Judicati Actio • Jurisdictio • Jusjurandum (oaths) • Libellus • Litis Contestatio • Manumissio • Manus Injectio • Negotiorum Gestorum Actio • Noxalis Actio • Operis Novi Nuntiatio • Pauperies • Per Condictionem • Per Pignoris Capionem • Pauperies • Praejudicium • Publiciana in Rem Actio • Quanti Minoris • Quorum Bonorum • Redhibitoria Actio • Restitutio in Integrum • Tormentum (torture as a method of interrogation) • Vindicatio • Vindicta

punishments

Poena • Arca • Carcer (jail) • Carnifex • Crux • Exsilium • Furca • Immunitas • Talio

rights and powers

Auctor and Auctoritas (separate articles) • Damnum Infectum • Dominium • Patria Potestas • Servitutes • Superficies • Ususfructus

succession

Successio • Heres • Legatum • Testamentum • Bona Caduca • Bona Vacantia • Bonorum Collatio • Bonorum Possessio • Communi Dividundo Actio • Falsum (fraud) • Familiae Erciscundae Actio • Fideicommissum

voting & enactment

Ambitus (electioneering) • Cista (ballot box) • Diribitores (election officials) • Situla • Suffragium (voting) • Tabella (ballot) • Tabellariae Leges (ballot laws)

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Site updated: 17 Jul 14

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