Diplomatic Activities of Rome in the VIII–III Centuries BC According to Data of the Juridical Tradition

Liudmila M Shmeleva,Kseniya A Utkina,Dmitry V Shmelev

doi:10.7596/taksad.v7i4.1800

Abstract

This paper investigates the diplomacy of the city of Rome in Royal and Early Republican periods fragmentation. It is known that the diplomatic authorities of Ancient Rome had a legal basis, fixed in Roman law. The oldest legal norms are preserved in the quotations and paraphrases of the Roman writers, lawyers and antiquaries (Cicero, Livy, Varro, Fest and others), who lived at a later time. Based on their data it is possible to reconstruct the field of public law governing the powers of fetials and ambassadors, ius gentium in the period VII - III centuries BC. In addition, they provide an opportunity to recreate some aspects of international relations in the region (relations with the Latin League, Etruscans, Volsci, Aequi and other Italian peoples) and diplomatic activities of Ancient Rome (diplomatic rituals - the Declaration of war, conclusion of peace Treaty; the position of ambassadors, diplomatic activities of the Roman Senate and consuls).

Highlights

The diplomatic activities of the bodies of power in Ancient Rome and those individuals who had been given these activities by Rome and the Roman people were based on rightful principles which had been registered in the Roman legislations since the times of the kings
The diplomatic activities were in the sphere of the public law
The fecial law had to do with the announcement of the religious aspect of international acts that is why the fetials did appear quite early in the society of the Italic peoples

Summary

Introduction

The diplomatic activities of the bodies of power in Ancient Rome and those individuals who had been given these activities by Rome and the Roman people were based on rightful principles which had been registered in the Roman legislations since the times of the kings. In Ancient Rome the international and diplomatic activities were regulated in by the rights of the fetials, the rights of the people and the ambassadorial law [1; 2]. In ancient Rome the fetials had the right to regulate international relations [3, 12.120; 1.62; 8. The fetials were entitled to announce the declaration of war and making peace. They had the right to extradite Roman citizens to an opposing party as a result of the violation of rules of the declaration of war and making peace. The fecial law had to do with the announcement of the religious aspect of international acts that is why the fetials did appear quite early in the society of the Italic peoples. Ius fetiale is considered to be a set of regulation the fetials had to build relations between Rome and other countries [5, 164]

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