Legal Definitions - leges regiae

The term leges regiae refers to a collection of ancient Roman customary laws, primarily concerned with religious practices and rituals. These laws were traditionally believed to have been established by the early kings of Rome.

• Imagine a rule stating that a specific type of animal sacrifice to the god Jupiter could only be performed by a designated priest, using a particular set of prayers and at a precise time of day. This rule, passed down through generations and attributed to an early Roman king, would be an example of a leges regiae because it dictates a religious rite and reflects an ancient custom.

• Consider a regulation that prohibited anyone from entering a sacred grove dedicated to the goddess Diana without first purifying themselves with water from a specific spring, or from cutting down trees within that grove. Such a rule, rooted in long-standing tradition and believed to have been decreed by a Roman monarch to preserve the sanctity of the site, illustrates a leges regiae focused on religious observance and the protection of sacred spaces.

• Picture a decree establishing the exact procedure for the Vestal Virgins to maintain the sacred flame of Vesta, including penalties for allowing it to extinguish. If this decree was seen as a foundational law for Roman religious life, believed to have originated from one of Rome's founding kings, it would exemplify a leges regiae, highlighting its connection to religious duties and royal authority.