What was a major difference between older traditional Roman law and the Twelve Tables?

What was a major difference between older traditional Roman law and the Twelve Tables?

• A. The Twelve Tables were interpreted by plebeians.
• B. They eliminated private property.
• C. Roman law was commonly interpreted by patricians.
• D. The Twelve Tables were entirely unwritten.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is who could know and interpret the law. In the older, traditional Roman system, legal rules were largely unwritten and interpretation was controlled by the patrician elite, meaning patricians effectively decided what the law meant. The Twelve Tables changed that by being a written, publicly posted code, making the laws accessible to all and reducing the patricians’ exclusive grip on interpretation. This is why the statement about law being commonly interpreted by patricians reflects the difference: the old system relied on patrician interpretation, while the Twelve Tables introduced a written, public framework that shifted how the law was known and applied. The other options don’t fit because the Twelve Tables were not unwritten, they didn’t eliminate private property, and the idea that plebeians alone interpreted them doesn’t capture the key shift toward a public, written code.

The key idea is who could know and interpret the law. In the older, traditional Roman system, legal rules were largely unwritten and interpretation was controlled by the patrician elite, meaning patricians effectively decided what the law meant. The Twelve Tables changed that by being a written, publicly posted code, making the laws accessible to all and reducing the patricians’ exclusive grip on interpretation. This is why the statement about law being commonly interpreted by patricians reflects the difference: the old system relied on patrician interpretation, while the Twelve Tables introduced a written, public framework that shifted how the law was known and applied. The other options don’t fit because the Twelve Tables were not unwritten, they didn’t eliminate private property, and the idea that plebeians alone interpreted them doesn’t capture the key shift toward a public, written code.