Summoned to the Roman Courts

Presents the thousand years of Roman history through sixteen studies of famous court cases - from the legendary trial of Horatius for the killing of his sister, to the trial of Jesus Christ, to that of the Christian leader Priscillian for heresy. “This book covers sixteen ‘famous trials’—some familiar to readers with a classical background, others less well known—all of which shed light on uncommon aspects of social and legal history. Liebs draws attention to two important but relatively understudied issues in particular: the role of the judge in procedure and the significance of trials and their outcomes in the evolution of Roman law.”—Jill D. Harries, Professor of Ancient History, University of St Andrews, and author of Cicero and the Jurists. "Summoned to the Roman Courts" is the first work by Detlef Liebs, an internationally recognized expert on ancient Roman law, to be made available in English. Originally presented as a series of popular lectures, this book brings to life a thousand years of Roman history through sixteen studies of famous court cases - from the legendary trial of Horatius for the killing of his sister, to the trial of Jesus Christ, to that of the Christian leader Priscillian for heresy. Drawing on a wide variety of ancient sources, the author not only paints a vivid picture of ancient Roman society, but also illuminates how ancient legal practices still profoundly affect how the law is implemented today.