1. How far did Roman punishments reflect Roman society?

2. By the end of the lesson you should be able to.....
Explain the nature of Roman society and how this affected attitudes to crime
Describe how law was enforced in Roman Britain

3. What can you learn from this source about Roman punishments?
AA mosaic showing the kind of punishment imposed on Christians who refused to obey the emperors laws concerning religion.
What can you learn from this source about Roman punishments?

4. Task
Each person is going to be given a information card which contains details about Roman Society. It is your task to produce an A4 poster that explains what it says on your information card. You can use as many pictures as you like but you cannot use more than 10 words! (Numbers do not count as part of your ten!)
After your 10 minutes preparation time – you are then going to explain your poster to the rest of your group who will write down the information you have given them.
If you are really struggling – you can opt to use 15 words, however, only do this if you are REALLY STRUGGLING!
(Use the question prompt card to help you for what to include!)

5. Could a criminal receive a fair trial?
Roman Society:
Roman Law:
Who tackled crime?
Could a criminal receive a fair trial?

6. Roman Society
Roman Britain, like the rest of the Roman Empire was hierarchical – meaning that different people had different powers over others. At the top of society were wealthy families who owned property (including slaves). At the bottom of society were the slaves themselves. There were groups in between.
Roman Britain was a patriarchal society. This means that it was run by men. The father was the head of the family and his wife, children and slaves were under his control and had to obey him. It was up to the father how his family were treated.
The types of crime under the Romans were partly linked to the inequalities that existed in the Roman Empire. While some people were extremely wealthy, there were many who lived in great poverty. At times, there were also severe food shortages if harvests were bad. The government did very little to deal with such problems. As a result, there were many who were desperate enough to risk breaking the law. The temptation to resort to crime was made greater by the fact there was no official police force to prevent crime or arrest suspected individuals.

7. The right of every person to know what the laws were
Roman Law
Roman Laws dealt with all sorts of crime, from the very serious (like murder) to more common crimes like fighting or theft. There were also laws to make Rome a better place to live in. For example, it was a homeowner’s job to make sure that the street outside their house was clean.
The Roman emperors had the power to make and enforce law. However, large sections of society did believe that law should be based on certain principles. These included:
The right of every person to know what the laws were
The right of the defendant (accused) to know any charges against them.
The idea of innocence until proven guilty.
The right to present evidence in court.
The right to a fair trial.
The belief that people should know what the laws were led to Roman law being written down and made public. The twelve tablets of the laws of Rome were carved on to metal sheets and displayed in town centres five hundred years before the Romans invaded Britain.

8. Who tackled crime?
There wasn’t a police force in the early years of Rome. If you were attacked or robbed, it was up to you and your friends to catch the criminal yourself! Then, in AD 6, the Emperor Augustus introduced patrols to guard the street and clear dark alleyways of thieves. It wasn’t an official police force and these men were not expected to investigate crimes, but it was certainly a direct response to the crime problem they were experiencing. However, many criminals must have got away with crimes because there was no official group to investigate them.
Vigiles – 7000 stood guard and patrolled the streets at night. They tried to stop crime but spent most of their time putting out fires.
Praetorian Guard – The Emperor himself was protected by 9000 elite, highly skilled guards.
Urban Cohort – up to 5000 were placed in the city. Their job was to stop riots.

9. Could a criminal receive a fair trial?
Minor crimes like theft or fighting were dealt with in a Magistrates’ Court. However, you would have to find a criminal yourself and gather all the evidence, as there wasn’t a proper police force to investigate the crime for you. At court, a judge was chosen and both sides presented their evidence. The judge would then make a decision and, if necessary, decide upon a punishment.
Serious crimes, like murder, were tried before a panel of judges and a jury. Again, both sides gave evidence but the jury, not the judge, decided if a suspect was guilty or innocent. The judge would later decide on a suitable punishment. In all cases, the accused person was declared innocent until proven guilty.
Punishments were used to deter others from committing crimes. As a result, some of the punishments handed out by Roman courts were brutal. However, how a person was punished depended on who they were. (Punishments for slaves were the harshest and punishments for nobles were the least severe)

10. What can you learn from source A about Roman punishments?
From this source we can learn that Roman punishments were…..
We can tell this because….
This shows that…

11. Could a criminal receive a fair trial?
Roman Society:
What type of people were at the top and bottom of Roman Society? (Hierarchy)
Who was society run by? (What is the name of this type of society?
What reasons made people commit crime?
What impact did it have that there was no real police force?
Roman Law:
What types of crime did Roman Law deal with?
What were the principles that society believed law should be based upon?
Who made and enforced law?
What were the twelve tablets?
Who tackled crime?
How were criminals caught in the early days of Rome?
What were patrols and guards initially created to do?
What didn’t they do?
What was the role of the Urban Cohort? Vigiles? Praetorian Guard?
Could a criminal receive a fair trial?
Where were minor crimes dealt with?
How was a murder trial dealt with?
Who would decide upon guilt or innocence in a murder trial?
Who was punished most severely? Least severely?