Policing Ancient Rome

**Runyan99** · 04-18-2006, 12:54

I've been studying Rome for a couple of years now, but there is one thing I still don't understand.

How did Rome deal with criminal issues and keep the peace in Rome itself, when there was no organized state police force, and soldiers were not allowed in the city itself, at least under the Republic? How did they deal with murder and robbery and such?

Clearly the lack of governmental policing power seems to have been an acute problem during the Roman Revolution, when Tribunes began using armed thugs to intimitade and kill office holders, and riots and violence in the Forum became common.

**Keba** · 04-18-2006, 14:42

From what I know, all issues with the law were raised by individuals citizens, with the state interfering only when it was harmed by such actions.

Naturally, action against wrongdoers could be risen by anyone, as they were actio publicus.

As for how they actually apprehended such people, I'm not sure. I know that in the era of the early Republic (up to 201 BC) it was individuals that had to do everything that the law dictated. I don't know about the later times.

Sorry if this reads weird, I still lack the english terminology, as I have only begun my studies in this field.

EDIT: Did some checking, and for the most part, the stated above is true. While I am by no means certain, it seems that vigintivirs, some of the lower magistrates, were responsible for, among other things, executions. That would indicate that it is possible that they had a force for apprehending (and detaining) the culprits that they are supposed to execute.

**Templar Knight** · 04-18-2006, 18:33

Didn't Rome have a City Guard?

**VandalCarthage** · 04-18-2006, 18:48

There were groups like the tresviri capitales, the urban cohorts, and even the vigiles, at varying periods. For the greater part of time, in most places, crimes weren't a state concern unless committed against someone important - so you can imagine how little a perceived need there was for a lower order police force.

**Magnificant me** · 04-18-2006, 21:57

I saw a peace on this very subject a while back on the history chanel. I can't remember when they were talking about but there was a sort of police force that romed the streets and punished people they found stealing and the like, a sound beation for the most part, a good number were taken to a lower cort where on man tried and sentaced them. If things got realy out of hand, like if there was a riot, the urban cohort was disbached, they were basicaly frontline soldires, only they were not on the front lines, they had all the equipment though. They would put down the riot with force. When it came to the uper class they had a uper cort where an actual trial took place the acuesd could hire a lawyer if they could aford it or wanted to. The disition was up to a jury of their pires, or maybe a grope of senitors I can't recall, they were senitors on the show but the acused may have been the son of a senitor. In the uper class the punishments were rather diferant then the lower class ones, no batings and the like. For the most part thoug the safty of the citisen was up to them self, the uper calss would often hire ex-galdiators as body garuds, mostly beacous they were big and new their way around a fight.