The course aims to give students a sound, basic knowledge of Roman legal experience and of its relevance for the training of jurists and security professionals. By the end of the course, students will be able to:
● understand the notion of law and the main lines of Roman legal history, from the archaic age to the Justinianic codification;
● grasp the fundamental concepts of Roman private law (legal subjects, capacity, things and real rights, legal transactions, obligations, contracts, torts) and their historical genesis;
● correctly use Roman-law technical vocabulary and categories, as a foundation for later legal subjects in the degree programme;
● reconstruct, from a historical-legal standpoint, the origin and development of public-security devices and law-and-order arrangements in imperial Rome, and appreciate their relevance for contemporary thinking on territorial security;
● critically read Roman legal and historiographical sources (in translation), identifying links between ancient institutions and present-day legal and security categories;
present the material learned orally, with appropriate terminology and independent critical argument.
● understand the notion of law and the main lines of Roman legal history, from the archaic age to the Justinianic codification;
● grasp the fundamental concepts of Roman private law (legal subjects, capacity, things and real rights, legal transactions, obligations, contracts, torts) and their historical genesis;
● correctly use Roman-law technical vocabulary and categories, as a foundation for later legal subjects in the degree programme;
● reconstruct, from a historical-legal standpoint, the origin and development of public-security devices and law-and-order arrangements in imperial Rome, and appreciate their relevance for contemporary thinking on territorial security;
● critically read Roman legal and historiographical sources (in translation), identifying links between ancient institutions and present-day legal and security categories;
present the material learned orally, with appropriate terminology and independent critical argument.
teacher profile teaching materials
G. Santucci, Basi romanistiche di istituti privatistici, Intra, Brĕvitĕr series, Rome, 2023.
For the special part, the lecturer will indicate and provide in class the materials and reference chapters drawn from C. Ricci, Security in Roman Times. Rome, Italy and the Emperors, Routledge, London-New York, 2018, as set out in the course content and in the weekly schedule.
The module on things and real rights is not covered by Santucci's volume, whose scope the author expressly limits to legal transactions and obligations: for these lessons the instructor will provide handouts and further reading material, which form an integral part of the examination programme for all students, whether attending or not.
Core Documentation
The reference textbook for the general part of the course is:G. Santucci, Basi romanistiche di istituti privatistici, Intra, Brĕvitĕr series, Rome, 2023.
For the special part, the lecturer will indicate and provide in class the materials and reference chapters drawn from C. Ricci, Security in Roman Times. Rome, Italy and the Emperors, Routledge, London-New York, 2018, as set out in the course content and in the weekly schedule.
The module on things and real rights is not covered by Santucci's volume, whose scope the author expressly limits to legal transactions and obligations: for these lessons the instructor will provide handouts and further reading material, which form an integral part of the examination programme for all students, whether attending or not.
Attendance
Attendance is not compulsory. It is nevertheless strongly recommended, as classes offer the best opportunity to study the sources in depth and to develop the critical skills required for the examination. The examination programme is identical for attending and non-attending students.Type of evaluation
The final examination is identical for attending and non-attending students and is held orally, in Italian. The final grade is expressed out of thirty (30/30), according to the following criteria: ● 18-20: sufficient, though minimal and not in-depth, knowledge of the subject; ● 20-25: more than sufficient / fair knowledge of the contents; ● 25-29: good / very good knowledge of the structures of the subject, together with an appreciable critical capacity; ● 30-30 cum laude: excellent knowledge of the subject, together with excellent critical, analytical and connective capacity. Besides the accuracy of the content presented, the assessment takes into account command of technical-legal terminology, the ability to argue independently, and the ability to draw connections between the general and the special part of the programme.