Lex Acilia Repetundarum

Roman law

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June 30, 2026

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The Lex Acilia Repetundarum was a Roman law enacted around 122 BCE. It aimed to curb the corruption and extortion of Roman provincial governors and officials. This law allowed citizens to bring lawsuits against officials who had abused their power and illegally enriched themselves at the expense of the provinces.1

The Lex Acilia Repetundarum was a significant development in Roman law, as it provided a legal recourse for provincials against corrupt Roman administration. It was part of a broader trend in Roman legal history to codify laws and establish procedures for justice, moving from unwritten customs to more formalized legislation. The law addressed issues similar to modern concepts of delict, which in Roman law referred to an obligation arising from a wrong committed.234

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epigraphy
Ancient Rome
…bce; pieces of the laws Lex Acilia Repetundarum (123 bce) and Lex Agraria (111 bce) were found in the 16th century on opposite sides of what was once a large bronze tablet; the local laws of the town of Bantia (on the borderlands of Lucania and Apulia in southern Italy)…
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…bce; pieces of the laws Lex Acilia Repetundarum (123 bce) and Lex Agraria (111 bce) were found in the 16th century on opposite sides of what was once a large bronze tablet; the local laws of the town of Bantia (on the borderlands of Lucania and Apulia in southern Italy)…
Read More