Salvius Julianus

Lucius Octavius Cornelius Publius Salvius Julianus Aemilianus (c. 100-170), generally referred to as Salvius Julianus or Julian the Jurist, was a famous Roman imperial jurist and public official. He was active in the reigns of Emperors Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius.

Julianus was probably born at the village of Pupput near Hadrumetum in North Africa, where an inscription recording his official career was discovered. He studied law with Javolenus Priscus, the respected head of the Sabinian School. Even as a young man he was renowned for his learning, and he was entrusted by Hadrian with revising and rearranging the Praetorian Edict in about 130. He was successively quaestor to the Emperor Hadrian (with double the usual salary), tribune of the plebs, praetor, "praefectus aerarium Saturnii", and "praefectus aerarium militarii" before becoming consul in 148. He was subsequently governor of Germania Inferior under Pius and of Hispania Citerior under Marcus Aurelius. He concluded his career as Proconsul of Africa in 168-169; he seems to have died in the latter year. His principal work was the "Digesta" (or Digests), in 90 books, a systematic treatise on civil and praetorian law which is cited by many later Roman legal writers. "It is a comprehensive collection of "responsa" on real and hypothetical cases; in general, it followed the edictal system... With Iulianus, the Roman jurisprudence reached its apogee." ["Salvius Iulianus" in Adolf Berger, "Encyclopedic Dictionary of Roman Law", American Philosophical Society, 1953, p. 552] Many of his judgements were published by his pupil Caecilius Africanus.

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