Gespräch mit Gaius, Jurist in Kleinasien

Aus den nachgelassenen Schriften von Cn. Pompeius Mela (Teil 2)

Abstract

The only book that has survived the »classical age« of Roman law (between 50 B.C. and 250 A.D.) as the relic of an extremely productive period in legal history is the introduction to private law published by Gaius under the title Institutiones during the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Our knowledge of this jurist who became more famous in his afterlife than amongst his contemporaries, having a considerable impact on codification in 18th and 19th century Europe, is extremely limited; thus the question arises: Who is Gaius? Theodor Mommsen, after collecting scarce evidence, pleaded for Gaius being a scholar in the remote provinces far from Rome – probably in Asia minor – being in close contact with a small but powerful group of Roman jurists. The text is a variant of this theory: »Conversation with Gaius« is scientific fiction at its best: abundant in material, most plausible in the setting – and may be the best possible depiction of a scholarly chat in a paradise garden for all those who want to get into conversation with Gaius.