Revision 1 - Rome

Vigils were fire fighters. Originally a job given to slaves it was made a full-time job on AD6. They patrolled the streets at night preventing fires but they did sometimes stop criminals. Aediles were officials that checked that market traders were fair. They also made sure the streets were clean.

The Urban Cohorts were the army. A group of soldiers were usually camped outside Rome to protect the city from invasion. If needed they could be used to quell riots.

The Praetorian Guard were the emperors bodyguard. Other Roman citizens sometimes used slaves as bodyguards.

If you thought that you had been wronged. For instance if you suspected someone from stealing from you or if you caught them in the act, you had to catch them yourself. If you knew who they were you could summon them to court.

At the Circus Maximus 4 teams of chariot racers would compete. Quite often the supporters of different teams would fight in the street.

A Roman Magistrate called an Aedile would fine you if you didn’t keep the street outside your house clean. Aediles would also fine people selling mouldy bread or underweight goods.

Christians tended to be thrown to the lions in the Gladiators area. They were hated for not believing the Roman religion of many gods. They were also sometimes crucified.

Spartacus was a Roman gladiator and slave who escaped and lead an army of 70,000 slaves against the Roman army. Boudicca was a British tribal chief who complained to the Romans. She was raped for complaining so she raised an army and attacked the Roman army.

Any Romans who committed Patricide (killing their father) were executed. They were stripped naked and whipped until their blood flowed. They then had to crawl into a sack with a monkey, a snake, a rooster and a dog. The sack was tied up and thrown into the river tiber. This was because men, particularly fathers were considered to be more important. Fathers even had to right to kill deformed babies when they were born.

Nobles sentenced to execution could opt for exile instead of being killed. Citizens tended to be executed for crimes such as murder, arson, rebellion, stealing from temples or trying to kill the emperor. Burning a temple would get you killed by being burnt at the stake.

Smaller crimes such as petty theft might be punished by a fine, being whipped or having property confiscated. Some punishments however were very violent. Limbs were amputated Molten lead poured down throat Crucifixion Thrown to beasts. Forced to fight as a gladiator Death by 1000 cuts.

The Romans only used prisons for people that were awaiting trial

A slaves punishment was quite often up to the master. They could be killed for many crimes. If one slave in a household tried to kill the master, all the slaves could be killed. Slaves could be beaten and whipped harshly for nothing.

Rebels were normally crucified. This is what happened to the army of Spartacus crucifixes lined the main road into Rome. This was to show other people what happened if you protested in Rome.

Other rebels such as Boudicca had their armies wiped out. Boudicca was also raped for protesting. If you protested against Rome, you were executed.

The Twelve Tables were the 1 st Roman laws. They listed the various things that were against the law. They were very detailed and included laws on marriage, housing and property as well as crime.

Women had virtually no rights They entertained their husbands

Justinian rewrote the laws into volumns. This is how laws are kept today.

If you were a victim of theft, you had to summon the thief to the magistrates. Only serious cases had juries. Juries were sometimes corrupt and jurors were often drunk.

The following principles were the basis for all Roman Law and are also the basis for all modern British law The accused is innocent until proven guilty Anyone can bring a case to court The defendant has the right to present evidence.