The Law of Property in Ancient Roman Law

Abstract

This paper addresses the Roman law of ownership and the rights that modified it, including, for instance, the rights of predial servitude and usufruct. Classic Roman jurists focused on private property over other kinds, such as sacred property and public property. Their doctrine of ownership was so influential that it has prevailed for centuries and even now maintains a substantial presence in the legal systems of the civil law tradition and in the realm of international law. There are even similarities to English property law, although English common law developed separately, based largely on feudal law.