DSMA19 Reading and Interpretation of Ancient Legal Sources

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2027
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Guaranteed by
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
!(OBOR(DST) && TYP_STUDIA(B))

At least basic knowledge of Latin.

Knowledge of the Greek alphabet, ability to search in the Ancient Greek dictionary (Liddell-Scott-Jones or Lepař).

Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Abstract

The aim of the course is to get students acquainted with ancient legal sources in Latin and Greek language, which stem from various areas of the Mediterranian area/Roman empire. Sources in other languages (Syriac, Hebrew, Persian, etc.) will not be examined due to the (lack of) language skills of both the teacher and most of the students, even though they might be from the relevant period and region.

Through commented reading of legal texts, students will become familiar with the principles of law, legislative procedure, codification of laws, law enforcement, as well as court functioning. Last but not least, students get acquainted with relevant legal terms.

Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will:
- be able to orientate themselves in the ancient legal terminology;
- become familiar with basic legal source texts, their authors and characteristics;
- understand the legislative and law enforcement principles;
- get awareness of the court procedure;
- know the basic types of laws and understand the circumstances of their enactment.
Key topics
  • Solon's laws (depending on preferences of the students)
  • Gortyn code (depending on preferences of the students)
  • Leges regiae, rogatae, datae
  • Lex duodecim tabularum
  • Gai Institutiones
  • Codex Theodosianus
  • Digesta seu Pandektai
  • Codex Iustinianus repetitae praelectionis
  • Institutiones seu Elementa
  • Novellae constitutiones post codicem
  • Ekloga (depending on preferences of the students)
  • Basilika
  • Traianus' letters to Plinius on persecution of Christians 
  • Epigraphic and papyrological legal texts (imperial constitutions, contracts, wills, etc.
  • Literary legal texts (Cicero's forensic and political speeches, Apuleius' defense against accusations of witchcraft)
  • Other sources according to preferences of students
Study resources and literature
    required literature
  • SKŘEJPEK, M. "Texty ke studiu římského práva". ORAC. Praha, 2001. info
  • GAIUS. Učebnice práva ve čtyřech knihách. Edited by Jaromír Kincl. Přetisk 1. vyd. z roku 1981. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1999, 274 s. ISBN 8072390570. info
  • Justiniánské instituce. Edited by Michal Skřejpek, Translated by Peter Blaho. 1. vyd. Praha: Karolinum, 2010, 411 s. ISBN 9788024617497. info
  • Digesta, seu, Pandectae :fragmenta selecta. Translated by Peter Blaho - Jarmila Bartošíková - Michal Skřejpek - Jakub Ž. První vydání. Praha: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2015, 701 stran. ISBN 9788024630632. URL info
  • Digesta, seu, Pandectae :fragmenta selecta. Edited by Michal Skřejpek, Translated by Peter Blaho - Radek Černoch. První vydání. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2019, 746 stran. ISBN 9788024643328. URL info
  • ČERNOCH, Radek. Problematika překladu právních textů z latiny : případová studie - 35. kniha Digest. Edited by Irena Radová. 227 stran. URL info
    recommended literature
  • Codex Theodosianus. Edited by Paul Krüger - Theodor Mommsen. Unveränderte Neuauflage. Berlin: Weidmann, 2011, ccclxxx st. ISBN 9783615117011. info
  • Codex Iustinianus. Ed. P. Krueger. Berlin, 1877. info
  • Digesta Iustiniani Augusti. Edited by Theodor Mommsen - Paul Krüger. Berolini: Apud Weidmannos, 1868, xiv, 906. URL info
  • Digesta Iustiniani Augusti. Edited by Theodor Mommsen - Paul Krüger. Berolini: Apud Weidmannos, 1870, 969, 75. URL info
  • Imp. Iustiniani PP. A. Novellae quae vocantur : sive constitutiones quae extra codicem supersunt ordine chronologico digestae : graecis ad fidem codicis Veneti castigatis. Edited by Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal. Lipsiae: in aedibus B.G. Teubneri, 1881, 436 stran. info
  • The Cambridge companion to ancient Greek law. Edited by Michael Gagarin - David Cohen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005, xiii, 480. ISBN 0521521599. info
  • Basilicorum Libri LX. : Editionis Basilicorum Heimbachianae Supplementum alterum. Edited by Contardo Ferrini - Giovanni Mercati - Gustav Ernst Heimbach - Karl Wil. Lipsiae: Johannes Ambrosius Barth (Mediolani, Ulrico Hoepli), 1897, XV, 256. info
    not specified
  • HEYROVSKÝ, Leopold. Dějiny a system soukromého práva římského. 4. opr. vyd. V Praze: Nakladatelství J. Otto, 1910, 1243 s. URL info
  • SOMMER, Otakar. Učebnice soukromého práva římského. Edited by Jiří Spáčil. Praha: Wolters Kluwer Česká republika, 2011, xxii, 220. ISBN 9788073576165. info
  • SOMMER, Otakar. Učebnice soukromého práva římského. Edited by Jiří Spáčil. 2. nezměn. vyd. Praha: Wolters Kluwer Česká republika, 2011, 356 s. ISBN 9788073576165. info
  • SOMMER, Otakar. Prameny soukromého práva římského. Nezm. otisk 2. přeprac. vyd. Praha: Melantrich, 1945, 189 s. URL info
  • HRDINA, Antonín. Sylabus římského práva soukromého. 1. vyd. Dobrá Voda u Pelhřimova: Aleš Čeněk, 2002, 71 s. ISBN 80-86473-09-0. info
  • KINCL, Jaromír; Valentin URFUS and Michal SKŘEJPEK. Římské právo. 2., dopl. a přeprac. vyd.,. Praha: C.H. Beck, 1995, xxii, 386. ISBN 3406400825. info
  • BARTOŠEK, Milan. Encyklopedie římského práva. Druhé, přepracované vydá. Praha: Academia, 1994, 471 stran. ISBN 802000243X. info
  • DOSTALÍK, Petr. Texty ke studiu římského práva soukromého. 2. vydání. Plzeň: Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, 2016, 208 stran. ISBN 9788073806255. info
  • PLESSIS, Paul J. du. Textbook on Roman law. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010, xvi, 427. ISBN 9780199574889. info
  • Zákon a právo v archaických kulturách. Edited by Dalibor Antalík - Jiří Starý - Tomáš Vítek. Vyd. 1. V Praze: Herrmann & synové, 2010, 346 s. ISBN 9788087054246. info
  • MACDOWELL, Douglas M. Studies on Greek law, oratory and comedy. Edited by Īlias Arnaoutoglou - Kōnstantinos A. Kapparēs - Dēmos Spatharas. First published. London: Routledge, 2018, xxiv, 365. ISBN 9781472458179. info
  • Speeches from Athenian law. Edited by Michael Gagarin. 1st ed. Austin [Tex.]: University of Texas Press, 2011, x, 396 p. ISBN 9780292786523. info
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
Collective reading and interpretation of selected ancient sources.
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
Colloquium on selected sources.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught in blocks.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2023, Spring 2026, Autumn 2026.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2027, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2027/DSMA19