What did Roman law reveal about their society? Numerous aspects of our current society can be attributed to the Romans. Their ancient influences can be seen in our government, architecture, law, and our language. However, their society was imperfect, like all societies. Roman laws and primary sources reveal weaknesses regarding views on class, gender, and religion. Historians and social scientists examine the primary sources of Roman laws and can identify their strengths and weaknesses. This way, they will not only understand how Roman laws worked, but also how we can apply their successes and weaknesses to our society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Roman government had a tendency to place some people higher than others, as can be seen in The Twelve Tables of Roman Law. The Twelve Tables of Roman Law established strict rules that favored the upper classes and targeted the lower classes and women. These laws revealed Rome's sexist ways as well as their hierarchy of people. The law “Women shall not tear their faces or cry because of the funeral” is unjust. By directly targeting women, it deprives them of their natural right to mourn the loss of a loved one. Roman law took everything away from women, even the right to express emotions. Since this law does not apply to the male population as well, it shows the unjust ways of their society. This ridiculous law shows how badly women were treated in ancient Rome. A law was also promulgated prohibiting marriage between plebeians and patricians. This law proposes a clear division between the upper/ruling class and the lower class, creating a hierarchy of people. Roman law placed the patricians so above the plebeians that the two were not even allowed to have relations with each other. Yet another example found in the Twelve Tables of Roman Law states: “If a slave has committed theft or done damage with his knowledge of the master, the action for damages is in the name of the slave. By using slaves as scapegoats, upper-class Romans were able to get away with any crime under the protection of the law. The government of Rome cared so little about slaves that it treated them as nothing and condoned abusive treatment by the upper classes. This law further reveals the unfair hierarchy of people in Rome's society. Not all Romans, however, agreed with the government, as is common in all civilizations. These people help current societies understand the flaws of ancient Rome. An example of such a person and his opinions is shown in On the Laws of Marcus Tullius Cicero. Cicero says that just because there is no written law against something does not mean that it does not go against "natural law", or morality. He uses the example of the rape of Lucretia, saying that "...although in the reign of Tarquin there was no written law concerning adultery, it does not therefore follow that Sextus Tarquin did not violate the eternal law..." (Cicero ). The same does not apply to laws written to please the people but which do not follow “eternal law”/”natural law”. The passage of such laws does not depend on one person's misjudgment. A person has good morals, but chooses to ignore them in favor of personal gain and pleasure. This is what Cicero believes is the root of the problem within the Roman government, and anything and anyone with flaws, for that matter. Many laws that favored some people over others were those that.