The Emperor of Law: The Emergence of Roman Imperial Adjudication

— —

Kaius Tuori (Academy of Finland Research Fellow and University Lecturer, Academy of Finland Research Fellow and University Lecturer, Network for European Studies, University of Helsinki)

The Emperor of Law

The Emergence of Roman Imperial Adjudication

Kaius Tuori (Academy of Finland Research Fellow and University Lecturer, Academy of Finland Research Fellow and University Lecturer, Network for European Studies, University of Helsinki)

$324

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press
24 November 2016

European history; Classical history & classical civilisation; Roman law; Legal history

Series: Oxford Studies in Roman Society & Law

In the days of the Roman Empire, the emperor was considered not only the ruler of the state, but also its supreme legal authority, fulfilling the multiple roles of supreme court, legislator, and administrator. The Emperor of Law explores how the emperor came to assume the mantle of a judge, beginning with Augustus, the first emperor, and spanning the years leading up to Caracalla and the Severan dynasty. While earlier studies have attempted to explain this change either through legislation or behaviour, this volume undertakes a novel analysis of the gradual expansion and elaboration of the emperor's adjudication and jurisdiction: by analysing the process through historical narratives, it argues that the emergence of imperial adjudication was a discourse that involved not only the emperors, but also petitioners who sought their rulings, lawyers who aided them, the senatorial elite, and the Roman historians and commentators who described it. Stories of emperors settling lawsuits and demonstrating their power through law, including those depicting 'mad' emperors engaging in violent repressions, played an important part in creating a shared conviction that the emperor was indeed the supreme judge alongside the empirical shift in the legal and political dynamic. Imperial adjudication reflected equally the growth of imperial power during the Principate and the centrality of the emperor in public life, and constitutional legitimation was thus created through the examples of previous actions - examples that historical authors did much to shape. Aimed at readers of classics, Roman law, and ancient history, The Emperor of Law offers a fundamental reinterpretation of the much debated problem of the advent of imperial supremacy in law that illuminates the importance of narrative studies to the field of legal history.

By: Kaius Tuori (Academy of Finland Research Fellow and University Lecturer Academy of Finland Research Fellow and University Lecturer Network for European Studies University of Helsinki)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 145mm, Spine: 32mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780198744450
ISBN 10: 0198744455
Series: Oxford Studies in Roman Society & Law
Pages: 498
Publication Date: 24 November 2016
Audience: College/higher education , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Kaius Tuori is currently an Academy of Finland Research Fellow. He studied at the Universities of Helsinki, Finland, and La Sapienza in Rome, and holds a doctorate in Law and an M.A. in History. His research interests include legal history, Roman law, legal anthropology, classical archaeology, and their intellectual history, and his publications include two academic monographs and several articles in journals such as Law, Culture and the Humanities, The Journal of Legal History, the Journal of Legal Pluralism, Revue internationale des droits de l'Antiquite, and the Legal History Review. He is also a co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Roman Law and Society alongside Paul J. du Plessis and Clifford Ando.

Reviews for The Emperor of Law: The Emergence of Roman Imperial Adjudication

Overall, this book is well-written, clear and easy to read. ... I believe that this book adds to the dialogue about the changes in Roman law that occurred in the Principate and early Empire. The approach is thought-provoking and bears more discussion. --Elizabeth Buchanan, Bryn Mawr Classical Review