Quintus Mucius Scaevola (Pontifex)
Quintus Mucius Scaevola, known as Pontifex, was a prominent Roman statesman and legal scholar active in the late Republic. He served as consul in 95 BCE, where he played a significant role in enacting a law that expelled Italians who had gained Roman citizenship unlawfully. His governance of the province of Asia was marked by administrative reforms that aimed to curb the exploitation of the local populace by Roman tax collectors. Scaevola was allied with Lucius Cornelius Sulla during the Roman civil wars but faced execution by Roman authorities in 82 BCE.
Scaevola's legacy primarily lies in his profound contributions to Roman civil law. He authored an extensive eighteen-book commentary that is recognized as the first systematic treatise on Roman law. This work innovatively categorized laws and included hypothetical legal cases to demonstrate their application, establishing foundational principles for future legal commentaries. His scholarly approach had a lasting impact on the development of Roman legal thought and practice, influencing the trajectory of Western legal systems.
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Subject Terms
Quintus Mucius Scaevola (Pontifex)
Related civilization: Republican Rome
Major role/position: Jurist, statesman
Life
Quintus Mucius Scaevola (KWIHN-tuhs MYEW-shee-uhs SEE-vuh-luh) enjoyed a distinguished political career, holding Rome’s highest political offices. As consul in 95 b.c.e., he coauthored a law expelling from Rome those Italians who had illegally enrolled as Roman citizens. Later, while governing the province of Asia, he rearranged the administration of the province and ended the Roman tax collectors’ exploitation of the provincials. A supporter of Lucius Cornelius Sulla during the first of the Roman civil wars (88-82 b.c.e.), Scaevola was executed by the Roman authorities in 82 b.c.e.
Influence
Scaevola the Pontifex is best known for his contribution to the development of Roman civil law. He was a gifted orator as well as an expert on the intricacies of Roman law. Scaevola wrote an eighteen-book legal commentary, the first organized treatise on Roman civil law. This work set several precedents. First, it grouped similar Roman laws together in categories. Perhaps even more important, it contained hypothetical legal cases illustrating how various Roman laws should be applied. Both the categorization of law and the creation of hypothetical cases marked great innovations in Roman legal science, and Scaevola’s work served as the foundation for later Roman legal commentaries.
Bibliography
Frier, Bruce W. The Rise of the Roman Jurists: Studies in Cicero’s “Pro Caecina.” Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1985.
Robinson, O. F. The Sources of Roman Laws: Problems and Methods for Ancient Historians. London: Routledge, 1997.
Tellegen-Couperus, Olga. A Short History of Roman Law. London: Routledge, 1993.