Lex Fufia Caninia
Encyclopedia
In ancient Rome
, the lex Fufia (also 'Furia, Fusia') Caninia (2 BC
) was one of the laws that national assemblies
had to pass, after they were requested to do so by Augustus. This law, along with the lex Aelia Sentia
, placed limitations on manumissions
. In numerical terms this meant that a master who had three slaves could free only two; one who had between four to ten could free only half of them; one with eleven to thirty could free only a third, and so on. Manumissions above these limits were not valid.
The limitations were established at the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire, at a time when the number of manumissions was so large that they were perceived as a challenge to a social system that was founded on slavery.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, the lex Fufia (also 'Furia, Fusia') Caninia (2 BC
2 BC
Year 2 BC was a common year starting on Thursday or Friday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Wednesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
) was one of the laws that national assemblies
Roman assemblies
The Legislative Assemblies of the Roman Republic were political institutions in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the contemporary historian Polybius, it was the people who had the final say regarding the election of magistrates, the enactment of new statutes, the carrying out of capital...
had to pass, after they were requested to do so by Augustus. This law, along with the lex Aelia Sentia
Lex Aelia Sentia
Lex Aelia Sentia was a law established in ancient Rome in 4 AD. It was one of the laws that the Roman assemblies had to pass . This law , has made limitations on manumissions. Manumission, or the freeing of a slave, became increasingly important by the early empire...
, placed limitations on manumissions
Status in Roman legal system
In Roman law, status describes a person's legal status. The individual could be a Roman citizen , unlike foreigners; or he could be free , unlike slaves; or he could have a certain position in a Roman family either as head of the family , or as a lower member .- Status...
. In numerical terms this meant that a master who had three slaves could free only two; one who had between four to ten could free only half of them; one with eleven to thirty could free only a third, and so on. Manumissions above these limits were not valid.
The limitations were established at the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire, at a time when the number of manumissions was so large that they were perceived as a challenge to a social system that was founded on slavery.
Relevant articles
- Roman LawRoman lawRoman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
- Status in Roman legal systemStatus in Roman legal systemIn Roman law, status describes a person's legal status. The individual could be a Roman citizen , unlike foreigners; or he could be free , unlike slaves; or he could have a certain position in a Roman family either as head of the family , or as a lower member .- Status...
- List of Roman laws
- Lex Aelia SentiaLex Aelia SentiaLex Aelia Sentia was a law established in ancient Rome in 4 AD. It was one of the laws that the Roman assemblies had to pass . This law , has made limitations on manumissions. Manumission, or the freeing of a slave, became increasingly important by the early empire...
- Lex Aelia Sentia