The 12 Tables - The Foundation of Later Roman Law

The 12 tables were the foundation of later roman law and were memorized by all citizens, literate or not. During the year or two that the decembers were in office, they held ultimatea ity. The unbroken chain of consular elections had been broken. A new form of government had been briefly ushered in. Rather than rule by two men, it was ruled by ten men. And among those ten men, one was first among equals, a man named apius claudius. Claudius came from a family of staunch patricians, and was a vigorous opponent of just about any proposed plebeian reform. After finishing their appointed task, the december