{"id":8904,"date":"2023-10-28T19:40:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-28T18:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=8904"},"modified":"2023-10-28T19:40:14","modified_gmt":"2023-10-28T18:40:14","slug":"who-enforced-laws-in-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/who-enforced-laws-in-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Enforced Laws In Ancient Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

There are countless stories of law enforcement throughout history, but none more intriguing and well-known as the ancient Romans. Ancient Rome was a hub for law enforcement, as it created its own sets of laws that were to be implemented, obeyed, and enforced. The first sets of laws that were created by the Romans were called the Lex Duodecim Tabularum, or the “Twelve Tables.” This set of laws was the first of its kind and laid out the foundation for the modern-day criminal justice system. It laid out twelve points of laws that defined different criminal acts and the punishments that went along with it.<\/p>\n

In terms of who enforced the laws in ancient Rome, there were a few players that held positions of authority when it came to law enforcement. The most famous of these positions were the magistrates. The magistrates were elected officials who were held to a certain standard of law enforcement and were given the authority to enforce the laws that were established in Roman society. This allowed them to act as judges and to issue punishments for any violations of the law.<\/p>\n

Another important position in ancient Rome was that of a Praetor. The Praetor was similar to a magistrate in that they were elected to oversee the legal proceedings and enforment of the laws. They, however, had more authority than a magistrate as they were in charge of setting the punishments for violations of the law and they also had the ability to interpret the laws and to make decisions on cases.<\/p>\n

In addition to the magistrates and praetors, there were also other law-enforcement officials that had special roles in Rome. These included the Vigiles, who were responsible for keeping the peace at night, and the Lictor, who were responsible for apprehending criminals and punishing wrongdoers. The Lictor was also responsible for upholding public morality and keeping public order by punishing any form of public misconduct.<\/p>\n