LHSS: Augustus and the Invention of Public Law

LHSS: Book Talk-Augustus and the Invention of Public Law Date: September 28, 2026 Speaker: Jacob Giltaij, Amsterdam Law School Moderator: Norman Ho, PKU-STL Summary prepared by the speaker, Jacob Giltaij: “One of the most far-reaching reforms in world-history may be the transfer from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, which happened between 27 BCE - 14 CE during the reign of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor. Augustus himself established the basic structure of the Empire, which would last until 476 CE in the West, and 1453 in the East, for an important part via legal means. This presentation, as well as the book on which it is based, aims to view the reform from a legal perspective, employing contemporary legal sources, for instance over the works of later historians. The picture that emerges from these legal sources is an attempt to above all create 'unity' after a period of intense strife.”