Los decenviratos. Una reflexión crítica

Abstract

The decemvirate is a commission manned during the struggle of the orders to write
down the law of the Romans (451-449 B.C.). The result of their work were the famous Twelve
Tables, which, according to Livy, were the foundation of all public and private law (Liv. A.U.C.
3.34.6). Also, the decemvirates contain some of the greatest dramas in Ancient History, including
the attempt to rape Verginia, the second secession and the restoration of the Republic. As it
often happens in Archaic Rome, everything regarding the decemvirates disputed and dubious,
especially for a certain lack of coherence in the story that adds implausibility to the sources.
Nevertheless, behind the mist of storytelling, we can detect some interesting solid facts in the
traditional account that might help us understand the role of the lawgivers in Roman perspective