Substance. Even a cursory review of all of Roman private law would be too long to provide. Instead, it may be more useful to consider selected aspects of Roman law in a few important areas. This selection may give some idea of the strengths and limitations of the Roman legal system concerning contracts, property damage, ownership, and "crimes" within the private law.

Contracts. Roman law recognized a variety of different kinds of contract, some defined by their forms (e.g., an oral question and answer using certain key words) and others by substance of the underlying transaction (e.g., sale or rental, but not barter or lending at interest). Among the latter group were the "consensual" contracts; these did not require any written or oral expression at all, merely the consent or agreement of both parties. These formless contracts were convenient...