The Twelve Tables: Rome's first written law
Rome's first codified law code was publicly posted so citizens could see — and demand — the rules that governed them.
Why it matters
Writing law down made it auditable: the beginning of the idea that legal process, not personal power, decides disputes. It seeded the Roman legal science that underlies most civil-law systems today.
Related events
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica — Law of the Twelve Tables