The ancient Romans are famous for their body of laws. Even to this day we are still fascinated about some of the laws of the ancient Romans because they reveal the concerns and preoccupations of the time.

For example, Lex Scantinia was a name for a series of laws that regulated sexual behavior. In particular freeborn men were prohibited from having same sex relations, which was an offense that could be punishable by death. One of the reasons behind why this law was created was to encourage the growth of legitimate children among freeborn couples. That’s why this law was not strictly enforced on slaves, for the children of slaves were not considered legitimate and therefore not citizens.

There were quite a few ancient Roman laws that regulated personal behavior and exacted penalties for breaking these rules. The Ex Julia de Adulteriis was one such law that made adultery a public offense punishable by exile. Fathers could kill their adulterous daughters and husbands could kill their wives if they were caught guilty of this charge, so exile was actually a mild form of punishment. Augustus even enforced this law on his own daughter and his granddaughter.

It’s hard to say what the most preposterous ancient Roman law was, but it just might have been the Lex Oppia. The Lex Oppia limited the display of female adornment and possession of such adornment. The proponents of this law argued that displays of jewelry, gold and fine silks would corrupt the matrons of Rome. However, the matrons of Rome were no match for proponents of the Lex Oppia. The matrons blocked all the roads of the city and barricaded the Forum. Eventually the law was repealed.

Laws like the Lex Oppia were formed at time when the Roman Empire was in a financial bind and luxury items like gold were scarce. However, after the Roman victory in Carthage, there was an excess of loot that made it no longer necessary for the Empire to ration its gold. It was after Punic victory that the Lex Oppia became an oppressive measure rather than a practical one. You’ll see that after Rome expanded its territories, the laws increasingly focused on regulating what we would consider as being personal choices.

As the Empire grew and more slaves were taken from conquered nations, there was an increasing interest on creating laws that limited the freedom of slaves. The Lex Aelia Sentia was once such law that outlined several restrictions on freeing slaves. First the master had to be at least twenty years old and the slave had to be at least thirty years old for the slave to be granted full citizenship rights. If a slave was freed before the age of thirty, the slave was not granted full citizenship rights.

You’ll see that many laws that were created after Rome began to expand its territories were designed to solve many of the problems that came with military expansion. For example, there was an influx of slaves from conquered nations. The patricians feared that granting these slaves citizenship would create an unbalance of power, and that’s why the Lex Aelia Sentia was created.

Even laws regulating private behavior like the Lex Scantinia, Ex Julia de Adulteriis and Lex Oppia was a product of Roman expansion. The prominent citizens of the era feared that access to the plunder of conquered countries would be a stimulus to greed, vice and an indulgence that would ruin Rome. Therefore certain laws like Lex Fannia, which limited the amount of money that one could spend on hosting dinner for guests and the type of food provided, served to control public morality.