12 Table of Roman Law
The 12 Tables of Roman law Analysis
As advanced civilizations developed throughout the world, a common trend was observed regardless of time and location. That trend was the development of a law and government. Each civilization developed some form of law, the Babylonians had Hammurabi’s Code, the Hebrew had Mosaic Law, and the Greeks had the Draconian Law. Although these were all great forms of law, one of the most important advances in legal history was the Romans and their development of the 12 Tables of Roman Law. The 12 tables of Roman law reflect the social structure, government, and moral values of the Roman Empire.
The 12 tables of Roman law provide an ample amount of evidence to support the idea that the Romans had a distinct social structure. When one analyzes the 12 tables of Roman law it is clear that the romans perceived women, slaves and even children to be inferior beings, which meant they were at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Table 5 Law 1 is one example of how the women were socially viewed in Roman society. Table 5 Law 1 states “Females should remain in guardianship even when they have attained their majority”.1 This meant all females immediately had to transfer from the guardianship of their fathers to the guardianship of their husbands. By the same token, women also did not have any control over the wealth or land that the family owned, which makes it evident that they were not trusted or respected as independently acting individual or as equals with the males of society. Additionally, women had no control over the fate of her children. This is made evident based off the information given in Table 4 Law 1 where it states, “A dreadfully deformed child shall be quickly killed.”2 The law does not set a clear standard as to what is considered a deformity therefore, the decision was always left up to the male to decide if a child should be killed or not. The ideals and moral values of the Romans also can be found in the examination of the
As advanced civilizations developed throughout the world, a common trend was observed regardless of time and location. That trend was the development of a law and government. Each civilization developed some form of law, the Babylonians had Hammurabi’s Code, the Hebrew had Mosaic Law, and the Greeks had the Draconian Law. Although these were all great forms of law, one of the most important advances in legal history was the Romans and their development of the 12 Tables of Roman Law. The 12 tables of Roman law reflect the social structure, government, and moral values of the Roman Empire.
The 12 tables of Roman law provide an ample amount of evidence to support the idea that the Romans had a distinct social structure. When one analyzes the 12 tables of Roman law it is clear that the romans perceived women, slaves and even children to be inferior beings, which meant they were at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Table 5 Law 1 is one example of how the women were socially viewed in Roman society. Table 5 Law 1 states “Females should remain in guardianship even when they have attained their majority”.1 This meant all females immediately had to transfer from the guardianship of their fathers to the guardianship of their husbands. By the same token, women also did not have any control over the wealth or land that the family owned, which makes it evident that they were not trusted or respected as independently acting individual or as equals with the males of society. Additionally, women had no control over the fate of her children. This is made evident based off the information given in Table 4 Law 1 where it states, “A dreadfully deformed child shall be quickly killed.”2 The law does not set a clear standard as to what is considered a deformity therefore, the decision was always left up to the male to decide if a child should be killed or not. The ideals and moral values of the Romans also can be found in the examination of the