Juridical aspects of the commercial activity in rome and the tituli picti

Abstract

Recent archaeological excavations at Mount Testaccio in Rome have confirmed former findings: it consists of amphorae remains that essentially match the Dressel 20 typology and were used for the sea transport of oil produced in Baetica to Rome. Many of these amphorae have inscriptions, the tituli picti, which contain, among other less interesting information, the names of the people involved in such transport with the consular dating. Not only the well known mercatores olearii, navicularii and negotiators appear, but also a new figure, the diffusores olearii (former Baetica). Their specific role, their meetings in public societates, as well as their relationship with the public annona, are unsolved issues. In addition, a series of key questions related with both public law (e.g. in fiscal inscriptions of the tituli picti) and private law (types of sales and purchases carried out, variants of contracts of affreightment etc.) are presented.