Ancient Law in Context (ALC) is an interdisciplinary research network comprising scholars from different disciplines who are interested in the interplay between law and society in the ancient Mediterranean. The co-ordinators of this group are Dr. Paul J. du Plessis in the School of Law and Dr. Ulrike Roth in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology.

We start from the belief that there are a number of fundamental problems to be addressed: how and how far Roman law and other legal systems provided a framework for, and even perhaps facilitated, economic development, social change and political evolution, and whether that development, change and evolution modified the content and procedures of Roman law and other ancient legal systems; and how the use of legal evidence may lead to a better understanding of ancient societies, and vice versa. While the expertise of the co-ordinators lies within the study of law and society in the Graeco-Roman world, the network aims to include discussion of legal systems also of other parts of the ancient world.

ALC aims to meet as a network once per term to discuss a specific issue within its remit. Our first meeting, on 1-2 June, will occupy itself with the question of the relationship between slavery and the law.

ALC also provides a forum for doctoral students to undertake research on aspects that fall within the remit of the network. Current students include:

Amy Bratton: Slave and free in the Augustan social legislation
Juan Lewis: The role of the vicariate in Roman slavery

We especially welcome inquiries from doctoral students on the following areas:

 - The interplay between law and society in the Roman Republic and early Empire
 - Law, society and the Roman familia
 - Roman slavery and the law
 - Greek slavery and the law
 - The use of Roman law in later legal systems, 
   esp. the use of Roman slave law in early modern slave-owning societies