Acta Juridica Hungarica
Volume/Issue:
Volume 48: Issue 3

The spear as the symbol of property and power in ancient Rome

Author:
Tamás Nótári Reformed University “Károli Gáspár” Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences, Department of Roman Law H-1042 Budapest Viola u. 2–4 Hungary

Search for other papers by Tamás Nótári in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Pages:
231–257
Online Publication Date:
12 Sep 2007
Publication Date:
01 Sep 2007
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/ajur.47.2007.3.2
Restricted access

In his well-known description of legis actio sacramento in rem , Gaius remarks that the rod was used in the procedure instead of the spear as the sign of lawful property since what the Romans considered truly their own was the goods taken from the enemy: “ Festuca autem utebantur quasi hastae loco, signo quodam iusti dominii; quod maxime sua esse credebant quae ex hostibus cepissent .” In harmony with Gaius’s view Verrius Festus states that the spear is the symbol, incarnation of supreme power: “ Hasta summa armorum et imperii est .” Setting out from these two testimonia , in the present study we intend to examine the content of the hasta and the festuca as symbols of power to support the interpretation of the ritual of legis actio sacramento in rem as duellum sacrum . First, we shall give a brief account of the occurrences of the spear as the symbol of imperium , of subhastatio related thereto and the function of the supreme commander’s spear; also, we shall touch on the stick of augures and certain Greek prefigurations and parallels of the symbolic nature of the spear and the rod. (I.) After that, we shall make some statements concerning the spear of the god Mars and the Mars cult, and the relation of Quirinus and Quirites to the symbolism of the spear. (II.) The fasces carried by lictores proceeding in front of the magistratus , the flamen Dialis and the virgo Vestalis are also insignia of power and, as we try to highlight this point, incamate the highly sacralised, numinous nature of power. (III.) Finally, from the ceremony of declaring war and from the special character and use of the spear in the ceremony we intend to show certain parallels between ius fetiale and legis actio sacramento in rem . (IV.)

  • Collapse
  • Expand
Cover Acta Juridica Hungarica
Acta Juridica Hungarica
Print ISSN:
1216-2574
Online ISSN:
1588-2616

The author instruction is available in PDF.

Please, download the file from HERE

Senior editors

Editor(s)-in-Chief: Éva Jakab

Co-Editor(s):
Viktor Lőrincz,
Fruzsina Orosz

Editor(s):
Samanatha Cheesman,
Zsuzsa Fejes,
Attila Kun,
Gábor Sulyok,
Márton Varju

Editorial Board

    1. Attila Badó
    1. Myátyás Bódig (Aberdeen)
    1. Zoltán Csehi
    1. Péter Cserne (Hull)
    1. Balázs Gellér
    1. András Jakab
    1. Miklós Király
    1. György Kiss
    1. Jan Kudrna (Praha)
    1. Herbert Küpper (Regensburg)
    1. Konrad Lachmayer (Durham)
    1. Andzrej Stanisław Mączyński (Kraków)
    1. Guido Pfeifer (Frankfurt am Main)
    1. Miklós Szabó
    1. Zoltán Szente
    1. G.J.J. Heerma van Voss (Leiden)
    1. Bernd Waas (Frankfurt am Main)
    1. Fryderyk Zoll (Osnabrück)

Advisory Board

    1. Péter Erdő
    1. Gábor Hamza
    1. Attila Harmathy
    1. László Kecskés
    1. Tibor Király
    1. László Korinek
    1. László Sólyom
    1. Lajos Vékás
    1. Imre Vörös

Acta Juridica Hungarica
P.O. Box 25
HU–1250 Budapest,Hungary
Phone: (36 1) 355 7384
Fax. (36 1) 375 7858
E-mail: acta.juridica@tk.mta.hu

  Indexing and Abstracting Services:

  • Information technology and the Law
  • International Bibliographies IBZ and IBR
  • Worldwide Political Science Abstractss
  • Translation Studies Abstracts
  • SCOPUS
  • Cabell's Directories
  • HeinOnline

 

Acta Juridica Hungarica
Language English
Size  
Year of
Foundation		 1959
Publication
Programme		 changed title
Volumes
per Year		  
Issues
per Year		  
Founder Magyar Tudományos Akadémia  
Founder's
Address		 H-1051 Budapest, Hungary, Széchenyi István tér 9.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Publisher's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Responsible
Publisher		 Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 1216-2574 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2616 (Online)

Monthly Content Usage

Abstract Views Full Text Views PDF Downloads
Apr 2023 0 14 11
May 2023 0 8 5
Jun 2023 0 7 5
Jul 2023 0 4 5
Aug 2023 0 12 4
Sep 2023 0 5 7
Oct 2023 0 4 0