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Semester 1

Dispute Resolution in the Roman Empire (ANHI10105)

Subject

Ancient History

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have completed 3 courses in Classics and/or Ancient History at grade B or above for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses. **Please see Additional Restrictions below**

Course Summary

Roman ideology emphasized the offer of justice, made to all subjects without discrimination. Yet despite the egalitarian principle behind this offer -- given principally through the Roman circuit court -- it has long been recognized that social, practical and economic concerns placed severe restrictions on the efficacy of the Roman justice system. Practical realities did not therefore match the grand claims of imperial ideology, forcing the empire's inhabitants to find alternatives. What were they?

Course Description

Roman ideology emphasized the offer of justice made to all subjects without discrimination. Yet despite the egalitarian principle behind this offer -- given principally through the Roman circuit court -- it has long been recognized that social, practical and economic concerns placed severe restrictions on the efficacy of the Roman justice system. Governors had a huge caseload with which they had to deal; judges were not necessarily legal experts, and had little acquaintance with the specifics of the legal orderings native to their provinces; petitioners also had to travel -- potentially a significant distance -- and then pay for room and board, waiting to see if, not necessarily when, their case would be heard. Practical realities did not therefore match the grand claims of imperial ideology, forcing the empire's inhabitants to find alternatives. What were they? Drawing on work from legal anthropology and sociology on Alternative Dispute Resolution, this course will examine precisely that question: how did historical agents resolve their disputes beyond recourse to state courts? A variety of processes will be examined, ranging across the more formal (arbitration) to self-help. Through examination of a range of evidence, we shall consider such issues as whether ADR enabled the preservation of the legal traditions of minority groups (as has often been demonstrated in modern contexts) and how methods of ADR interacted with state institutions. We shall also consider what the study of ADR might tell us about broader issues in Roman history, including the nature of Roman rule and Romanization.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 40%, Coursework 60%, Practical Exam 0%

Additional Restrictions

Unless you are nominated on a Classics or HCA exchange agreement, visiting students are only permitted to enrol in two 3rd year Classics courses each, per semester, before the start of the relevant semester’s welcome period – and spaces on each course are limited so cannot be guaranteed for any student. Enrolment in a third course from this group will depend on whether there are still spaces available in the September Welcome Period, and cannot be guaranteed. It is NOT appropriate for students to contact staff within this subject area to ask for an exception to be made; all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. This is due to the extremely limited number of spaces available in this very popular subject area.

view the timetable and further details for this course