Public Order in Ancient Rome

Focusing on the law and order mechanisms in ancient Rome, this study challenges the notion that the lack of a professional police force led to the Republic's collapse. Wilfried Nippel explores how self-regulation served as a stabilizing force throughout both Republican and Imperial periods. The analysis offers a comparative perspective, appealing to legal historians of other pre-modern societies, as well as ancient historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and political scientists interested in the dynamics of governance and social order.