Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
acted as political and military leaders. It also controlled the Republic's purse strings and,
in times of grave peril, could nominate a dictator for a six-month period.
You'll see the letters SPQR everywhere in Rome. They were adopted during the Roman Republic and
stand for Senatus Populusque Romanus (the Senate and People of Rome).
This system worked pretty well for the duration of the Republic, and remained more or
less intact during the empire - at least on paper. In practice, the Senate assumed the as-
semblies' legislative powers and the emperor claimed power of veto over the Senate, a
move that pretty much gave him complete command.
The observance of law was an important element in Roman society. As far back as the
5th century BC, the Republic had a bill of rights, known as the Twelve Tables. This re-
mained the foundation stone of Rome's legal system until the emperor Justinian (r
527−65) produced his mammoth
Corpus Iurus Civilis
(Body of Civil Law) in 529. This
not only codified all existing laws, but also included a systematic treatise on legal philo-
sophy. In particular, it introduced a distinction between
ius civilis
(civil law - laws partic-
ular to a state),
ius gentium
(law of nations - laws established and shared by states) and
ius naturale
(natural law - laws concerning male-female relationships and matrimony).
Via Appia Antica is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who initiated its construc-
tion in 312 BC. He also built Rome's first aqueduct, the Aqua Appia, which brought in water from the
Sabine Hills.
Latin
But more than the laws themselves, Rome's greatest legacy to the legal profession was the
Latin language. Latin was the lingua franca of the Roman Empire and was later adopted
by the Catholic Church, a major reason for its survival. It is still one of the Vatican's offi-
cial languages and until the second Vatican Council (1962−65) it was the only language in
which Catholic Mass could be said. As the basis for modern Romance languages such as
Italian, French and Spanish, it provides the linguistic roots of many modern words.
Roman Roads
And just as many words lead to Latin, so all roads lead to Rome. The ancient Romans
were the master engineers of their day and their ability to travel quickly was an important
