The absence of a professional police force in the city of Rome in classical times is often identified as a major cause of the collapse of the Republic. But this alleged "structural weakness" was not removed by the Emperor Augustus and his successors, and was in fact shared with other premodern states. In this critical new study of the system of law and order in ancient Rome in both the republican and imperial periods, Wilfried Nippel identifies the mechanisms of self-regulation that operated as a stabilizing force within Roman society.

"Nippel's attention to the ritualized structures of political life and the precedents for political action creates a multi-faceted commentary on politics....dense in historical detail and rich in the historical perspectives that form the basis of the argument."

"...a lucidly argued thesis bolstered by selective use of comparative urban evidence..."

"Professor MacCormack had done a superb job of exhausting the sources and establishing his case for his thesis that aspects of Confucianism he emphasizes has a profound influence on the codes....His book is a great step forward for the field....this is an illuminating book."