Emperors and Lawyers

This second edition of Tony Honore's controversial book analyzes some 2,609 legal rulings (rescripts) given by Roman Emperors between 193 and 305 AD, and argues that, though issued in the name of emperors, they were really both in style and substance the work of professional lawyers. From their style Honore is able to detect when one lawyer-draftsman gave way to another, and to identify some of the lawyers and allot most of the rescripts to the true author. On this basis he argues that in the third century there was a convention that the rights of citizens would be governed by objective legal standards. The Roman Empire was not in fact a pure autocracy. Extensively updated and edited, this edition includes on a high-density diskette a reconstruction (Palingenesia) of the 2,609 rescripts. This new and original work of reference will enable scholars to read the texts chronologically and to judge the soundness of the arguments advanced.