Twelve Tables

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/twelve-tables

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the year of promulgation?449 BC
2. What is the location of display?The Roman Forum
3. What were the Twelve Tables and why were they important?They were Rome’s first written set of laws, created in 449 BC. By putting the rules on bronze or wood and showing them in the Forum, everyone could see and understand the law, which helped keep peace.
4. How did the Twelve Tables help ordinary people (plebeians)?Before the tables, only the wealthy priests made up the laws. The Twelve Tables put the rules on public tablets so all citizens, not just the rich, could read them.

Jurisprudence: The theory and philosophy of law, including its principles and the study of legal systems.
Patrician: A member of the aristocratic, ruling class in ancient Rome.
Codification: The process of collecting, arranging, and systematizing laws into a coherent body of statutes.
Pontifical College: An ancient Roman college of priests who held significant religious and legal authority.