Introduction
A subject of reflection for over a millennium, Roman law has given rise to numerous clichés, often to the detriment of our understanding of it. This year’s course by Dario Mantovani will examine several of these, which have been challenged by recent research: among others, the role of popular law, the alleged decline of law in Late Antiquity, the mythologized identity of the jurist Gaius, law as a mirror of the economy, and the method of compiling the Digest. Essentially, the aim will be to reflect on the epistemological status of these preconceptions and on our tendency to transform the past into a paradigm. Scholars from various countries will expand on this reflection in a series of lectures devoted to common misconceptions about law from the Middle Ages to the present day.