\paperw3900 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 \fs22 The history of the legal systems adopted in Rome from the seventh century BC onward can be divided into two distinct p
eriods: that of <<the \b \cf4 \ATXht87 monarchy\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 >> and that of <<the\b \cf4 \ATXht88 republic\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 >>. These were followed by the <<period of the \b \cf4 \ATXht89 Empire\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 >> (late first century BC) during which
the chief magistratures, while continuing to exist nominally, were in fact stripped of all real power to make decisions.\par
The archaic Roman state was founded on two main elements: the civitas (city), comprising the urban settlement and its immediate
surroundings, and the gentes (clans) of the patricii or quirites, i.e. those who had played a part in the formation and expansion of the city. \par
