1) In book 6 of Polybius’ “Histories”, Polybius examines the Roman government and its “mixed” constitution. At the head of the Roman Republic are two elected officials, called consuls, who carry out the decisions of the Senate, lead the army, and generally hold the highest executive authority. Polybius describes the consuls as the monarchical element of the Roman government. The consuls' power, however, is tempered by the authority of the Senate, a small group of Roman political elites who form the aristocratic element in the Roman constitution. The Senate controls the treasury and the public building programs, passes judgment in certain cases of the highest importance (particularly treason), and handles foreign diplomatic affairs.
The highest positions in the government were held by two consuls who ruled the Roman Republic. A senate composed of Patricians elected these consuls and at this time, lower-class citizens, or plebeians, had virtually no say in the government. Both men and women were citizens in the Roman Republic, but only men could vote. Under certain circumstances, the senate and the consuls could appoint a temporary dictator to rule for a limited time until the crisis was resolved. One of the innovations of the Roman Republic was the notion of equality under the law.
The Deep Impact of Octavian For forty years Octavian, post 27 B.C. known as Augustus Caesar, held power in Rome and he was able to establish a firm foundation for emperors to come by changing laws and enabling others to act. He believed that the Roman laws had proven to be weak under the Roman Republic and they needed a strong leader. The senate approved and appointed him consul, tribune and commander in chief for life. Augustus is remarkable because unlike the other politicians that came before him once he gained power he was able to keep it.
Justinian Code was developed by the king of the Byzantine Empire. He based these laws of the Romans codes and many of the legal maxims from his text are still used today. Magna Carta limited the power of the king and setup the due process legal system that is still used today. It also stated that no freeperson should be imprisoned without the judgment of his or her peers. Statute of Westminster involved everyday citizens in policing and preventing crime.
It is said that the punishment of crime in Britain today shares similarities with Celtic and Roman Britain. The types of crime committed throughout history have on the whole remained the same from theft to murder. Here we will discuss how the Celts and Romans dealt with offenders so we can consider how the same approaches to crime still apply today. A common form of punishment for crime under Celtic law was the imposition of fines to compensate victims. An offender would need a Guarantor to pay his fine should he be unable to pay.
Senators and Generals: Important to the Roman Republic and leaders of the fall. The senators and generals were an important part of the Roman Republic government structure, but unfortunately they were also just as important in the destruction of the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic was a large and strong government structure. A governmental structure that dictated laws, regulations and policies to the people of Rome. The government expanded greatly along with acquisition and control of the area of land that was acquired through battles.
Slaves were also confined in a work house or house of correction for punishment. When punished for capital offence, they would usually be crucified but this was later abolished by Emperor Constantine. DIFFERENT TYPES OF PUNISHMENTS The different types of punishments inflicted among the Romans, were fines, bonds, stripes, retaliation, infamy, banishment, slavery and death. A Roman citizen could not be sentenced to death unless he was found guilty of treason. PUNISHMENT BY DEATH The Romans had many ways to inflict death as a punishment.
Both civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome established very well-ordered political practices that significantly influenced the way later governments, such as the ones in Europe and the United States, were organized. The structure of political parties, the formation of divisions within the government, and even politically used words like democracy, monarchy and tyranny all stem from the Romans and Greeks. Even though the Romans adopted several of their political principles from Greece, the number of dissimilarities between the two civilizations were vast. The Greeks and Romans both had political structures that mirrored those of a city-state. Although conversely, the very dissimilar landscape between the two swayed their political growth.
Those who disobeyed the ruling could possibly end up imprisoned also. The wealthy were under house arrest under a friend to confirm there presents. Private prisons existed for the slaves. The procedure of the trial differed during the roman and republic. In the republic any citizen could press charges through a patronus.
There were settlements for disputes that may come up amongst citizens. All individuals were required to act and be grounded by morals and ethics that were set up for society. Draco’s law is the first laws to be written in Greece 621 BC. It is known to be one of the3 harshest laws there was. Most of the punishments even for the most minor crimes was death.