Summary This article concerns the identity and role of the C. Helvidius Priscus who is named in CIL IX, 2827 as an arbiter ex compromisso in a boundary dispute. After examining the inscription itself, I proceed to examine the implications of the mechanism of arbiter ex compromisso in the Roman judicatory system, and the possibility of a high-ranking Roman serving in such a role. The seemingly discrepancy between a high-ranking Roman and the role of a land surveyor is resolved hereby (...) by juxtaposing it twice: once with the precedent of high-ranking surveyors in the agrarian bill of Rullus; and secondly, by reading it in the context of locatio conductio operis contracts. (shrink)

This article examines forms of arbitration in commercial wine transactions known as ‘sales on delivery’. This category includes transactions by which the price was paid for a product which was delivered in a set future date. They also included a caveat by which the vendor guaranteed the quality of the wine and promised to replace it, if it fails to meet expectations. By juxtaposing papyrological evidence with that of the legal sources, and the identity of potential arbiters with other para-legal (...) authoritative figures, I hope to shed much needed light on the growing emergence of professional prowess in settling commercial disputes and then, assessing the implications of this form of arbitration on Roman judicature in general. (shrink)

TheApologyof Apuleius is a rare example of a complete forensic speech in Latin from the High Roman Empire. The prosecution on the charge ofmagiaof a renownedrhetorin the court of a Roman proconsul, who might himself have been a distinguished Stoic philosopher, offers modern scholars a remarkable opportunity to observe an encounter between scholarship and legal practice. Apuleius arrived in the city of Oea en route to Alexandria as part of a life of learning and travel. While visiting Oea, Apuleius met (...) his old schoolfriend Sicinius Pontianus, who encouraged him to wed his recently widowed mother Aemilia Pudentilla. The reason for this unusual request was Pontianus' wish that his mother would not marry someone unsuitable. Apuleius agreed and the marriage took place. However, it left Sicinius Aemilianus, a brother of Pudentilla's first husband, and Herennius Rufinus, Pontianus' father-in-law, aggrieved and they decided to pursue Apuleius through the courts. TheApology, which Apuleius later published as a record of his defence, has long attracted scholarly interest. Two commentaries have been published, the literary aspects analysed and the authenticity of the speech scrutinized. (shrink)