The Roman Republic

Influences on Roman Government

Roman government was heavily influenced by multiple sources:

The early river valley civilizations - Roman government was influenced by past governments, such as the one in ancient Mesopotamia. When King Hammurabi codified the laws of his land in Hammurabi's Code, he set the stage for future law codes to be developed.
Judaism and the Kingdom of Israel - The Jewish people also adhered to a code of laws early on. This code of laws was the Ten Commandments and laid out rules that were both religious and moral.
Ancient Athens - The ancient Athenians had a direct democracy. Rome looked to Greece not only for cultural inspiration but also for guidance to building a large scale democratic republic. This new republican government in Rome would become the first representative democracy in the world (similar to the one in the United States today).

Roman Law - The Twelve Tables

The Roman Republic was formed in 509 B.C.E. About sixty years later, the Romans created their first set of written laws. A group of ten Romans was appointed to create these laws. They wrote enough laws to fill twelve bronze tablets. These tablets would come to be known as the Laws of the Twelve Tables. It was important to write these laws down so that all Romans knew the laws of the land. This helped establish law and order throughout Rome because the people were subject to written laws. The Twelve Tables even promoted the idea of a trial by jury to enforce law and order.

Laws in the Roman Republic - The Twelve Tables

Here are a few notable examples of Roman laws from the Twelve Tables

1. If anyone summons a man before the magistrate, he must go. If the man summoned does not go, let the one summoning him call the bystanders to witness and then take him by force.

2. He whose witness has failed to appear may summon him by loud calls before his house every third day.

3. One who has confessed a debt shall have thirty days to pay it.

4. A child born after ten months since the father's death will not be admitted into a legal inheritance.

5. Females should remain in guardianship even when they have attained their majority.

6. A man might gather up fruit that was falling down onto another man's farm.

7. A person who had been found guilty of giving false witness shall be hurled down from the Tarpeian Rock.

8. No person shall hold meetings by night in the city.

9. Putting to death of any man, whosoever he might be unconvicted, is forbidden.

10. The women shall not tear their faces nor wail on account of a funeral.

11. Marriages should not take place between plebeians (commoners) and patricians (wealthy aristocracy).

12. Whatever the people had last ordained should be held as binding by law.

The Relpublic

A democratic republic is a political system in which the leader is not a king, and certain citizens have the right to vote. These citizens vote on laws and elect officials to represent them in the government. The primary characteristic of a republic is the presence of a government ran by elected representatives. In the Roman Republic, these elected officials were called magistrates. The Roman government was very complicated and had many different magistrates and organizations to operate the government.

Below are some of the positions in the Roman Republican government:

· Consuls - The top of the Roman Republic. There were always two at a time and only served for one year. The consuls could veto each other if they didn't agree on something. The consuls could make decisions on war, taxes, and laws. They had a lot of power and were elected by the Plebeian Council.

· Senators - This was a group of leaders that advised the Consuls. Once chosen, they served for life. Senators were chosen by the Consul, not elected by citizens.

· Plebeian Council - This was also called the People's Assembly. Plebeians were commoners in classical Rome. Plebeians could elect their own leaders, pass laws, and hold court through this organization.

· Praetors - These were judges that oversaw courts and governed provinces. They only served for one year.

· Tribunes - These were the representatives chosen from the Plebeian Council. They could veto any laws made by the Senate.

· Censor - This person counted the citizens and kept track of the census.

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