Roman Citizen’s Law

Noor Salem 8A

Roman Males & Females• A male Roman citizen has a wide range of privileges. However,

they could - under certain circumstances - be disadvantaged of their own citizenship.

• Roman women had the right to own property, to engage in business, and to get hold of divorce. Marriages were important during the democracy. However, woman were not allowed to vote for public office.

The Roman law changed several times

• After some battle from the patricians (who are wealthy citizens), a group produced 12 bronze tablets that had Rome's first law code, called the Twelve Tables that recorded important concepts E.g. rights of citizens.

• Christianity once became the official religion of the Empire, and marriage was no longer legal unless a Church priest had blessed the couple. Divorce became difficult. The emperors also banned the old pagan religious cults.

• Justinian (Byzantine Emperor who wanted to conquer half of the Roman Empire) made a new Code that kept the Roman law alive in the eastern Empire for about another thousand years.

How does this event demonstrate the characteristics of the humanities idea of change? Why do you believe it is a good

example of citizenship?

• This event demonstrates the characteristics of humanities concept of change because Romans have developed ways for people to know what is legal and what is not (12 tablets) and they have also developed a way for things to be right in Law and also in religion.

• This is a good example of citizenship because good citizens are well educated and they help others out and tell them what is right and wrong, and by developing new laws, people will start following them and the community will become a better place.

What do you think the world would be like today if your event did not happen?

• If this event did not happen, I think there would be no laws in Rome and there would be many problems so the community’s population would decrease, and Rome would have fallen apart.

BibliographyInformation:• 6a. The Roman Republic." The Roman Republic [ushistory.org]. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2012. <

http://www.ushistory.org/civ/6a.asp>.

• "Roman Citizenship." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 22 Sept. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_citizenship>.

• "Code of Justinian (law)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/308835/Code-of-Justinian>.

• "The Laws of the Twelve Tables, C.450 B.C." The Laws of the Twelve Tables, C.450 B.C. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2012. <http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/12tables.html>.

Pictures:• http://azizonomics.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/13602_fall_of_the_roman_empire_screen_51.jpg

• http://www.crystalinks.com/romecloth.jpg

• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Sant'Apollinare_Nuovo_(Justinian_I).jpg/220px-Sant'Apollinare_Nuovo_(Justinian_I).jpg

• http://www.crystalinks.com/RomeSenators1.jpg

• http://jesus.christ.org/files/2010/06/Jesus-Temple-mormon.jpg

• http://ancientweb.org/images/explore/Romania_Dacians_Fighting_Romans.jpg