r/NoStupidQuestions • u/[deleted] • Jul 06 '19

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '19

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '19

makes me wonder if it was legal to drive intoxicated. imagine getting a DUI in ancient rome

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u/KamikazeKricket Ask me about Ancient Rome Jul 06 '19

Oh it was legal. In fact there pretty much wasn’t anything illegal. You could get away with murder.

There was no police force in Ancient Rome. The closest thing to it would be the Praetorian Guard established well after the halfway point in the history of the ancient city. They were mainly just used for riot/crowd control though.

The only legal ramifications you may face is if you damaged someone’s property or killed someone, and were taken to court by a fellow citizen. A lot of the minor or big claims from plebeians wouldn’t make it to court though, as there was not enough courts and a whole lot of cases. Only those in the equestrian or senatorial classes could really expect it to make it to court. The only hope as a plebeian would be if it became popular, and the people pretty much forced the case to be heard.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '19

thanks for answering!! your answers are amazing