The Lex Junia, Lex Fufia Caninia, and Lex Aelia Sentia. Impact and Motives of the Augustan Manumission Laws

Abstract

During the reign of Emperor Augustus three manumission laws were issued: the Lex Junia, Lex Fufia Caninia, and Lex Aelia Sentia. The lack of an obvious identifiable cause for issuing these laws has been the reason for debate among modern scholars for almost a century now. This thesis focuses on the question what the motives and impact of the Augustan manumission laws were and contributes to the debate by going beyond the formulations of the legal texts, by examining how the laws interacted with society, and by exploring the interconnectedness of these laws and the Roman world. The laws did not respond to a clear cause, but were the result of several historical developments, such as Augustus’ “restoration” of the Republic. Additionally, I will further the idea that laws aimed to protect Roman citizenship, by connecting this assertion to the transformation of citizenship during the reign of Augustus.