The Twelve Tables First Roman Laws

The Origin of the Twelve Tables
The Twelve Tables were the first written laws of the Roman Republic created around 450 BCE. Before these laws existed, legal rules were unwritten and kept secret by the wealthy upper class known as patricians. The common people called plebeians felt that this system was unfair because they never knew their actual rights. To solve this problem, a group of ten men was chosen to write down the laws for everyone to see. These laws were eventually carved into bronze tablets and displayed in the Roman Forum for all citizens to read.