Tiberius Coruncanius
Tiberius Coruncanius (died 241 BC) was a
Biography
Coruncanius, of plebeian descent, is believed to have hailed from Tusculum.[1]
He was first elected consul in 280 BC with
In 254 BC or 253 BC, he was the first plebeian elected Pontifex Maximus, or chief priest of the Roman Republic, which position had been previously monopolized by patricians. He died in 241 BC and was succeeded by Lucius Caecilius Metellus, another plebeian.
Impact
He was the first who publicly professed law (publice professus est), known to be both eloquent and full of knowledge.[2] Like Socrates, he left no writings.
His public legal instruction had the effect of creating a class of legally skilled non-priests (jurisprudentes), a sort of consultancy. After Coruncanius' death, instruction gradually became more formal, with the introduction of books on law beyond the then scant official Roman legal texts.[3]
It is possible that as the first plebeian Pontifex Maximus, Coruncanius allowed members of the public and students of the law of Ancient Rome to attend his consultations tasked with giving legal advice to citizens. These consultations were probably held outside the College of Pontiffs, and thus accessible to all those interested. As such, he became the first teacher of Roman law (how students of law learned their material earlier is unknown).[1]
References
- ^ a b "Republican Jurists" (PDF). Oxford Higher Education. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2009.
- ^ George Long article, p. 655 of A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities by William Smith. John Murray, London 1875.
- ^ Unknown. "legal education." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 4 March 2007 <http://secure.britannica.com/eb/article-9106475>.
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