What are the elements of the Roman constitution?

Roman constitution was an accumulation of laws, legal decisions, and ancient customs. All policy decisions were dependent on the collaboration of the voting assemblies, the magistrates, and the Roman Senate.

Was the Roman Constitution democratic?

Despite many democratic features, the Roman constitution was not truly democratic, as the Roman Republic replaced the rule of a single monarch with the rule of the elite, the patricians.

Roman Constitution Timeline

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Definition

Roman constitution was an accumulation of laws, legal decisions, and ancient customs. While today 'constitution' usually refers to a single act of legislation, this was not the case in ancient Rome. Instead, Roman government relied on the wisdom and customs of their ancestors as Roman law developed gradually over time.

More about: Roman Constitution

Timeline

509 BCE
Foundation of the Roman Republic.
494 BCE
Traditional date the office of the tribuni plebis is created in Rome.
450 BCE
The laws of the 'Twelve Tables', the basis of Roman law, are compiled.
449 BCE
The Valerio-Horatian Laws establishes the tribal assemblies in Rome.
367 BCE
Law passed enabling Roman plebians to become consuls.
c. 287 BCE
The Lex Hotensia states that laws passed in Rome by the Concilium Plebis are binding to all people, even patricians.

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