Proving human’s age in roman law

Abstract

The human’s age was very important in Roman law. The completion of a certain age entailed a change in the legal position of a human being, both in the sphere of his rights and obligations. The scope of legal capacity, the ability to marry, the ability to draw up a will, the possibility of appearing in front of the magistrate office and many others, depended on exceeding the exact age. Hence, an important practical problem has appeared and it has been a proving the age for legal purposes. The research allowed me to develop a catalog of Roman evidences which could be used to prove human’s age. The toga was an informal way to prove it and it was only symbolic. In legal practice, the age could be proved by means of a statement, testimonies of witnesses and documents such as a birth certificate.