Read the information below. What was the role of law in the life of the RomansRomansRomans?

RomeRomeRome, the capital of Roman Empire, was the largest city in the world in the 1st century AD. The visitors were thrilled by its size and magnificent buildings. Like in any other Roman city, the centre of political, religious and social life was the forumforumforum, i.e. the central square. Around a million people lived in RomeRomeRome. The wealthy had their own houses with gardens. The poor rented apartments in several‑storey tenement houses. The ground floors of the buildings were occupied by shops and services.

The law played an important role in the Roman state. The RomansRomansRomans had to follow its rules. In the 5th century BC, they wrote down laws on Twelve Tables which they placed in the Roman ForumforumForum. The idea was to allow every passer‑by to get familiarized with its principles. This code of law is called the Law of Twelve Tables.

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Ilustracja przedstawiająca filozofów spisujących prawo rzymskie.

Roman lawroman lawRoman law had been developing over the centuries. Numerous new laws and regulations were introduced. It was not until the 6th century A.D. that they were assembled, or codifiedcodificationcodified, on the order of Emperor Justinian the Great.

Many of the principles currently in force in our law are based on the Roman lawroman lawRoman law. One of the examples is the principle that both parties to the dispute must be heard.

Familiarize yourself with the figure of Cicero. What was this Roman famous for?

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Fresk przedstawiający Cycerona przemawiającego w senacie.

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Rycina popiersia Cycerona.

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman politician, statesman and philosopher living in the first century BC. He started his career as a court attorney. Later, he focused on his political activities; however, he became famous to his descendants for another reason. He was considered to be the greatest speaker in Roman history. He was a master in his use of words and rhetorical style. His speeches were characterized by excellent structure and clarity of message. The RomansRomansRomans had many occasions to hear Cicero speak from the rostrum set up at the Roman ForumforumForum. He also gained fame as a theoretician of pronunciation. In the field of rhetoricrhetoricrhetoric, his most popular work was “About the speaker”, in which he presented the image of an ideal speaker, combining the art of expression with deep philosophical culture. His definitions, explanations and examples formed the basis for textbooks for rhetoricrhetoricrhetoric for several centuries to come.

As one of the researchers of antiquity wrote, Cicero's speech was a model example of fulfilling all the conditions set by rhetoricrhetoricrhetoric. His inborn intelligence, elaborate education, logic of reasoning but also an unusual imagination let him choose the right arguments. The ease of finding the right words, eloquence, and excellent mastery of different styles of pronunciation gave him the opportunity to present content in a beautiful form; finally, sincere engagement, extraordinary memory, beauty, a pleasant voice, and the tendency to live gestures – these were factors that allowed him to charm and move listeners.

The ancient RomansRomansRomans considered the Roman ForumforumForum to be the most important place of RomeRomeRome, but also of the whole world at that time. Therefore, near the public rostrum and the Triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus, they erected a small brick monument symbolising the „navel of the world”, as ancient people used to call it.