Lex Iulia: The Legal Legacy of Caesar
Veni, vidi, vici. But my legacy was not forged by the sword alone, it was forged by the law. This journey is for those who understand that power without a legal framework is mere tyranny.
Why this journey
Relevance
Julius Caesar was a transformative figure whose life marked the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Empire. This journey, designed for law students, focuses on his least explored side: that of the legislator and administrator, whose work laid the foundations for the later development of classical Roman law.
Learning
You will analyze the 'Leges Iuliae' (Julian Laws) in their historical context, from the reform of the calendar to the laws against luxury and corruption. You will understand the tension between military power (imperium) and legal authority, and how Caesar used the law as a tool to consolidate power and administer a vast territory.
Today
This journey offers fundamental lessons on the relationship between law, power, and governance. It is a unique opportunity for future lawyers to reflect on the origin of concepts such as citizenship, sovereignty, and the codification of law, and how these are forged in moments of profound political transformation.
Included
- Accommodation in charming, well-located hotels.
- All breakfasts and the lunches or dinners specified in the itinerary.
- Expert guides and historians throughout the journey.
- Entrance to all museums, monuments and historic sites in the itinerary.
- Comfortable private transport for all transfers between cities and activities.
- Exclusive workshops, tastings and immersive experiences described in the program.
- A welcome pack with reading materials and a travel journal.
- Basic travel insurance.
Not included
- Round-trip international flights to the expedition start/end point.
- Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary.
- Personal expenses, purchases and souvenirs.
- Optional activities during free time.
- Tips (optional).
Who runs it
Institutions we have worked with
Itinerary
- Day 1 Arrival in Rome: The Forum, Heart of the Law
Arrival in Rome. Our first visit will be to the Roman Forum at dusk. Here, among the ruins of basilicas and temples, we will discuss the role of the Forum as the center of the legal, political, and commercial life of the Republic.
- Day 2 The Senate and the Struggle for Power
We will visit the Curia Julia, the new seat of the Senate that I myself ordered built. Through a simulated debate, we will analyze the conflict between my faction (the Populares) and the senatorial aristocracy (the Optimates), exploring the constitutional tensions that led to civil war.
- Day 3 The 'Leges Iuliae': Reforming the State
A seminar with an expert in Roman law on my legislative reforms: the Lex Iulia Municipalis to organize the cities, the sumptuary laws to control luxury, and my efforts to reform grain distribution and debt. We will discuss their impact and motivation.
- Day 4 Journey to Gaul: Lex Iulia de Civitate
Flight to Lyon, the Roman Lugdunum, capital of the Three Gauls. In the afternoon we will visit the Gallo-Roman museum, which holds the Claudian Tablet: the bronze-cast speech with which Claudius opened the Senate to Gallic notables almost a century later, proof of how far what I began would reach. We will discuss one of my most far-reaching decisions: the granting of Roman citizenship to the inhabitants of Cisalpine Gaul and, later, to other provinces.
- Day 5 Alesia: The Siege and the Administration of the Province
A full-day trip to Alesia, in Burgundy, a little over two hours away. There my conquest of Gaul culminated with the surrender of Vercingetorix in 52 BC: at the MuséoParc we will walk the lines of circumvallation and contravallation with which I penned in one army while holding off another. We will then study what came after victory, how the administration of a new province was organized: the collection of taxes, the construction of infrastructure, and the application of Roman law alongside local customs. We will discuss the role of the governor and the limits of his power.
- Day 6 Crossing the Rubicon: 'Alea Iacta Est'
Flight from Lyon to Bologna and transfer to the Rubicon, near Savignano. Here we will analyze the act that unleashed the civil war: my decision to cross the river with a legion, defying the Senate's prohibition. We will discuss the concepts of 'imperium' and treason ('maiestas'). Night on the Adriatic coast.
- Day 7 The Legal Legacy of the 'Dictator'
Train to Rome in the morning. In the afternoon, a seminar will focus on my appointment as 'Dictator in Perpetuity'. We will analyze the legal basis (or lack thereof) for this position and how it stretched the republican institutions to their breaking point, paving the way for Augustus's Principate.
- Day 8 Egypt: Caesar, Cleopatra, and International Law
A thematic day, with no travel: from Rome we take on my intervention in the Egyptian civil war and my meeting with Cleopatra. We will discuss the complexities of Roman 'international law': the relationship with client kingdoms, treaties, and the justification of military intervention.
- Day 9 The Ides of March: The Assassination and Its Legal Consequences
We will return to Rome. We will visit the site of the assassination, in the Theater of Pompey. We will analyze the legal justifications of the conspirators ('tyrannicide') and the chaos that followed, culminating in the 'Lex Titia' that granted absolute power to the Second Triumvirate.
- Day 10 From Caesar to Augustus: The Birth of the Empire and Farewell
Our journey concludes at the Ara Pacis, the Altar of Peace of Augustus. We will reflect on how my great-nephew, Augustus, learned from my mistakes and managed to consolidate power under a republican facade, creating the Empire. Farewell lunch and transfer to the airport.