Twelve Tables of Roman Law (451 BCE) Commentary by Eric May, M.A.

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

The Law of the Twelve Tables is separated into twelve separate sections, each referring to one or more public or private legal concepts in detail. Although the originals were destroyed in 390 bce, references to them from ancient sources have allowed for their re-creation.

Table I

The ten laws of Table I deal with procedural elements of summonses to court and of the trial itself. They cover the responsibilities of both plaintiffs and defendants in response to a summons, stipulating that if a defendant does not appear, the plaintiff could “seize his reluctant adversary” (Law II); if a defendant was ill or infirm of body, the plaintiff was required to supply “an animal, as a means of transport” (Law IV). However, the plaintiff was not responsible for supplying an expensive litter, or covered chair designed to be carried by attendants.

Furthermore, Law VI expands upon who could act as a “surety” or “defender” of someone in court, whether the...