Square “Ex-Votum” Ring in 925 Sterling Silver (Grace Received)

Descrizione

The ex votum ring has a meaning that has very ancient origins.

Ex-votum (vote) was one of the figures of non-contractual obligations arising from lawful act

It consisted of the sacred promise to a deity.

The commitment made in the religious sphere had as its object a certain propitiatory or thanksgiving performance.

The priests of the deity could seek recourse to the
cognìtio extra òrdinem
which was one of three procedural models in Roman law.

Originating at the end of the
republican period
, in classical times it flanked the procedure by formula until it replaced it.

Originally this procedure was adopted to settle public law disputes.

Beginning with Augustus it was also extended to relationships of a private nature.

It was characterized by the following:

– unity of proceedings: all procedural activity took place before the same state official;

– broad discretion of the adjudicator: the officer-adjudicator had broad powers to ascertain the fact;

– procedability by default: it was necessary and sufficient only that the defendant had been notified of the commencement of the proceedings;

– Appealability of the judgment;

– specificity of condemnation: the condemnation no longer consisted of the payment of a sum of money, but also imposed the restitution of the thing,

– Manu militari enforceability.

enforcement of judgments was delegated to special state bodies, the

apparitors

.

L'”

appellation

” took place with the filing of a notice of appeal with the judge.

Who, upon receiving the documents and a report from his colleague in the first instance, invited the parties to make claims and present evidence.

The second sententia was normally unappealable, except for a special appeal (“supplicatio“) to the emperor’s heart.

– Criminal law

The new procedural system also found application in the criminal field, where it supplanted, the system of
perpetual issues

Its salient features were as follows:

the activity of direct cognition of the accusation and judgment was carried out by the prince himself, or by another imperial magistrate or official,

the final judgment was not, therefore, the responsibility of the people gathered in meetings, let alone juries .

The trial arose after a citizen’s complaint, but the prosecution was supported by a public accuser.

It had, therefore, the nature of an inquisitorial process, while accusatory matters.

The trial magistrate originally had the option of adjusting the sentence to be imposed to the severity of the offense.

As for the crimes covered by the issues, a significant tightening of penalties was also implemented.