tabelliones

In the Roman Empire, a tabellion was a scrivener with some notarial powers. These individuals were essentially professional scribes who could draft legal documents.1

The development of legal professions in Roman civilization, particularly between 200 BCE and 600 CE, saw the emergence of legal experts. Initially, there was a prejudice against paid legal specialists. However, as Roman law became more complex, prominent individuals, often patricians, acquired legal knowledge and gained reputations as experts. These early legal experts, known as jurisconsults, were influential in advising on legal matters.

Alongside the jurisconsults, a humbler class of paid legal documentary experts, the tabelliones, existed. They were particularly useful in non-litigious transactions, handling the drafting of various legal instruments.2