ROMAN LAW
Instructional goals
The programme aims at providing the students with the knowledge of some fundamental institutes of Roman private law that, although referring to a legal system of the past, are still relevant for an understanding of contemporary European private law. The study of these institutes will take into account not only their theoretical construction, but also the social, economical, political and cultural context in which they were created and developed from the beginnings to the Justinianic age.
Intended learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
The division of the course in three parts is aimed at putting the student in the position to understand the historical value of legal institutions: the beginnings of the city and the establishment of Roman power in Italy, the formation of the universal empire, the Roman legacy in the construction of the modern legal systems.
Applying knowledge and understanding
The student will be able to independently compare, during his studies, the Roman legal logic with the modern.
Making judgements and communication skills
The study of law in a historical perspective will help the student in increasing his communication skills and autonomy of evaluation.
Learning skills
The study of law in a historical perspective will lead the student to reflect critically on the various responses that law has provided and provides to the economic, social and political needs of the society, from the Roman age to the present.
Course Contents
The ius of archaic Rome (from the origins to the 3rd century BC): the gentes and the patriarcal family, the powers of the father on res and personae, successions, delicts, formality in the negotia and the processual actiones.
Roman law from the time of the expansion in the Mediterranean to the end of Principate (3rd century BC-3rd century AD): the new needs of the economy and the arising of the ius honorarium and ius gentium, the procedure per formulas, the arising of contracts, the iura in re aliena, the law of delicts.
The importance of the Justinianic Corpus iuris civilis as foundations of private law: some examples of history of private law on torts.
Reference Books
1st part of the course: lecture notes and study of Serrao, Feliciano. Diritto privato economia e società nella storia di Roma. 1, Dalla società gentilizia alle origini dell’economia schiavistica . Ristampa 2008. Napoli: Jovene, 2006. Print.
2nd part of the course: lecture notes and reading of Arangio-Ruiz, Vincenzo. Istituzioni di diritto romano . Quattordicesima edizione riveduta, ristampa. Napoli: Jovene, 2002. Print, chapters IV (§ 2), VI, VIII, IX, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XXV ;
and study of Cursi, Maria Floriana. Danno e responsabilità extracontrattuale nella storia del diritto privato, Seconda edizione interamente riveduta, Napoli: Jovene, 2021. Print (except the critical notes of each chapter), I part.
3th part of the course: lecture notes and study of Cursi, Maria Floriana. Danno e responsabilità extracontrattuale nella storia del diritto privato, Seconda edizione interamente riveduta, Napoli: Jovene, 2021. Print (except the critical notes of each chapter), II, III and IV part.
Teaching Methods
Lectures are on campus; slides can be downloaded from the e-learning platform. During the lectures, discussion of cases and questions will be encouraged to help students in interacting.
Assessment Method
The oral exam is aimed at verifying the knowledge acquired and the logical-argumentative skills of the student who will be asked to discuss cases of Roman jurisprudence studied during the lectures. The exam can partly be held by presenting a powerpoint on a topic indicated by the teacher.
The following evaluation criteria will be taken into account to assign the final grade, expressed in thirtieths: - knowledge and understanding of the notions and principles of the matter, also from the discussion of concrete cases (70%); appropriate use of the technical and legal vocabulary, ability to analyse and evaluate relevant sources and acquisition of the study method (30%).
Learning gaps concerning notions or principles will lead to insufficient evaluation.
Thesis assignment criteria
knowledge of Latin
Week 1
1st part: the first socio-economic formation
1. content of the course, 2. periods, 3. gens and its continuity in the civitas, 4. the social groups in the XII tables,
5. gens, 6. familia proprio iure and communi iure, 7. res mancipi and res nec mancipi, 8. the founding of Rome and the monarch, 9. comitia centuriata, 10. the first Republic, 11. the second Republic (Serrao, chapters 1-4)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular tab. 5.4, 5.5; Gai. 3.154a-b; Gai. 2.14, 1.119
Week 2
1. the powers of the pater familias, 2. marriage and conventio in manum, 3. confarreatio, coemptio, usus, 4. patria potestas,
5. adoptio, 6. the XII tables on the patria potestas and the adoptio, 7. termination and suspension of the patria potestas , 8. in mancipio esse, 9. nexum and nexus, 10. addicti: a status between personae in mancipio and slaves, 11. addictio to the creditor, 12. addictus and servire servitutem, 13. servitus and ius gentium
(Serrao, chapters 5-11)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular Gai. 1.110 ss., 1.134; tab. 4.2; Gai. 1.49; Varr. ling. Lat. 7.105; Gell. 20.1.45; Quint. inst. or. 7.3.26
Week 3
1. forms of ownership, 2. praedial servitudes, 3. the problem of system of via, iter, actus,
4. the XII tables on via, 5. the creation of iter and actus by the prudentes, 6. a stratified system, 7. the water servitudes, 8. the arising of the iura in re aliena (Serrao, chapters 12-16)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students i in proposing solutions. In particular Ulp. 2 inst. D. 8.3.1; Paul. 21 ad ed. D. 8.3.7 pr.; Fest. s.v. viae (L. 508); Iav. 10 ex Cass.D. 8.3.13.2; Paul. 4 epit. Alf. dig. D. 8.3.30; Gai 4 ad leg. XII tab. D. 47.22.4.
Week 4
1. exchange negotia, 2. credit negotia, 3. guarantees negotia, 4. partnerships negoria, 5. delicta,
6. physical injuries, 7. furtum, 8. damnum, 9. poena, 10. the Haftungsverhältnisse in the XII Tables , 11. sumptuary laws on burial and hereditas, 12. forms of testament, 13. mancipatio familiae, 14. other institutes of successions (Serrao, chapters 17-21)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular Gai 4 ad leg. XII tab. D. 47.9.9; Plin. nat. hist. 17.1.7, 18.3.12; tab. 8.2-4; 8.12-13; Gell. 11.18.8; tab. 8.16; Gai. 3.191; tab. 10.3-4, tab. 5.3-5; Gai. 2.104.
Week 5
1. civil procedure, 2. legis actiones, 3. l.a. sacramenti, 4. l.a. sacramenti in rem, 5. l.a. sacramenti in personam,
6. l.a. per iudicis arbitrive postulationem, 7. l.a. per condictionem, 8 l.a. per manus iniectionem, 9. l.a. per pignoris capionem, 10. the praetor and his role in the first socio-economic formation (Serrao, chapters 22-26)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular Gai. 4.13, 4.16-17a-b, 4.21, 4.27-28.
Week 6
second part: the second socio-economic formation
1. the Roman expansion in the Mediterranean, 2. the edict of the praetor and the procedure per formulas, 3. the procedure per formulas between cives, 4. lex Aebutia and lex Iulia,
5. the basis of the binding force of the judgment, 6. formula, 7. praescriptio pro reo and exceptio, 8. executio (Arangio-Ruiz, chapter 4 § 2: to be read only)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular Gai. 4.30, 4.11; Ulp. 77 ad ed. D. 47.10.15.46; Paul. lib. sing. de conc. act. D. 44.7.34 pr.
Week 7
1. typical features of the obligationes contractae: obligationes consensu contractae, 2. obligationes re contractae of ius gentium 3. obligationes verbis contractae, 4. obligationes litteris contractae,
5. οbligationes quasi ex contractu in the system of the sources of obligations, 6. the construction of system, 7. obligationes ex delicto: transformations in furtum and physical injuries, (Arangio-Ruiz, chapters 12-16: to be read only)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular Gai. 3.145-147; Gai. 2 aur. D. 44.7.1 pr.; I. 3.13.1.
Week 8
1. lex Aquilia, 2. the three chapters of law, 3. open problems,
4. the interpretatio of law, 5. culpa, 6. id quod interest, 7. robbery, 8. obligationes quasi ex delicto: edictum de effusis vel deiectis, 9. innominate or atypical contracts, 6. actio de dolo (Arangio-Ruiz, chapter 16: to be read only) (Cursi, part I)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular Gai. 7 ad ed. prov. D. 9.2.2 pr.; Gai 3.215; Ulp. 18 ad ed. D. 9.2.27.5; Paul. 10 ad Sab. D. 9.2.31; I. 4.3.16; Gai. 3.182; Ulp 23 ad ed. D. 9.3.1 pr.; Paul. 5 quaest. D. 19.5.5.2; Ulp. 11 ad ed. D. 4.3.1.1; D. 4.3.7 pr.
Week 9
1. forms of ownership, 2. duplex dominium: usucapio and actio Publiciana, 3. superficies: the horizontal ownership, 4. usufruct: the temporary ownership, 5. urban servitudes (Arangio-Ruiz, chapters 6-11: to be read only),
6. bonorum possessio: the praetorian succession, 7. querela inofficiosi testamenti (Arangio-Ruiz, chapter 25: to be read only) 8. the third socio- economic formation: brief overview on the vulgarization of law, on the cognitio extra ordinem, 9. the Justinianic Corpus iuris civilis, 10. the tradition of the Corpus iuris civilis.
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular Gai. 2.40 ss., 4.36; Paul. 3 ad Vit. D. 7.1.1; Ulp. 17 ad Sab. D. 7.1.68; Gai. 2 rer. cotid. D. 22.1.28; Paul. 2 inst. D. 8.2.4; Marc. 4 dig. D. 8.2.10; Gai Epit. 2.1.3.
Week 10
third part: the legacy of Roman Law about torts
1.introduction, 2. the actio legis Aquiliae and the extension of the cases of damage that can be compensated, from the glossators to the humanist jurists, 3. from the damage arising from the killing of a free person, to the emergence of the notion of interesse singulare,
4. the unitary category of maleficium in Grotius’ systematic, 5. spes alimentorum, 6. interesse singulare, 7. Usus modernus Pandectarum and Natural Law: absolute protection of personal injury, 8. the systematic of the forms of compensation in Pufendorf (Cursi, part II, III)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular gl. gloriae causa ad D. 9, 2, 7, 4; gl. Casus l. cum eo quod interest c. de sententiis . (C. 7, 47) ; H. Grotii De iure belli ac pacis libri tres, I, Traiecti ad Rhenum, 1773, 512 ss. (II.17.1 ss.); S. Pufendorfii De iure naturae et gentium, libri octo, Francofurti- Lipsiae, 1759, 299 (III.1.3 ss.)
Week 11
1. the legacy of Natural Law in the European codes: the Germanic codes (ALR, ABGB), 2. non pecunary loss and actio de dolo in the Historical and Pandectistic School, 3. the three mini-clauses on tort liability in BGB,
4. the general damage clause and fault liability in the French code, 5. the double soul of Italian law: from the Civil code of 1865 to the Code of 1942, 6. the notion of ‘danno ingiusto’ (Cursi, part IV)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular §§ 823, 826 BGB; artt. 1382 e 1383 cod. fr., artt. 1151, 1152 cod. it. 1865; artt. 2043, 2059 c.c.
Week 12
1. liability based on the identity of iniuria and culpa: culpa in vigilando, culpa in eligendo, 2. the overcoming of the Roman model in Thomasius’ theory (Cursi, part. III),
3. liability criteria in BGB, 4. Domat e Pothier: liability and vicarious liability; 5 Code Napoléon, 6. The double liability in Italian law (Cursi, part. IV)
In lectures, some texts will be commented to facilitate the discussion of legal problems, as well as the interaction between students in proposing solutions. In particular Chr. Thomasius, Larva Legis Aquiliae detracta actioni de damno dato, receptae in foris Germanorum , Magdeburg, 1750 (Oxford, 2000), § 829 BGB; art. 1384 cod. fr., art. 1153 cod. it. 1865; artt. 2047, 2048 c.c.