This guide is intended for students and researchers studying Roman law at the University of Oxford, although students and researchers from any field may find it useful.
Use this guide to find out about sources and commentary for Roman law, including ebooks, ejournals, and databases.
Roman law was the law of ancient Rome from the founding of Rome in 753 BC to the fall of the Western Empire in AD 476. Roman law continued in the Eastern Empire until AD 1453. It is the basis for the legal system of most continental European countries.
This Guide classes sources originally written before AD 1000 as “ancient” sources; all other sources are classed as “modern” sources.
The Roman law monographs are on Floor 2.
As Roman law is taught to undergraduates, some of the key texts on the Reading List are held in the Reserve Collection. They have shelf marks beginning KE.
The majority of the Law Bod's Roman Law collection is on open shelves, and have shelf marks starting Roman. The books have been classified according to this in-house scheme:
Roman 500 - General
Roman 510-601 - Legal sources and literature
Roman 610 - Dictionaries
Roman 620-625 - Lay sources and literature
Roman 630 - Law of persons
Roman 635 - Law of property
Roman 640-642 - Law of obligations
Roman 645 - Law of succession
Roman 650 - Law of actions and procedure
Roman 655 - Criminal law
Roman 660 - Constitutional law
Roman 670 - Jurisitic epigraphy and papyrology, and the law of Greco-Roman Egypt
Roman 675 - Byzantine law
Roman 680 - collected and collective works and historiography
Roman 690 - Encyclopaedias and bibliographies
Post 2000 Roman law journals (Roman 300) are on Floor 1.
Pre 2000 Roman law journals (Roman 300) are on Floor 0.
Other parts of the Bodleian may have useful Roman law titles. Below are guides to the likely candidates!
