Legal Definitions - urbs

In Roman law, urbs is a Latin term that refers to a significant urban settlement. It carries two primary meanings:

• First, it broadly designates any city or town within the Roman world.
• Second, and more specifically, when used without further qualification, it often refers to the city of Rome itself, emphasizing its unique status as the capital and center of the empire.

Here are some examples to illustrate its use:

• Example 1 (General city or town): A Roman provincial governor might issue an edict stating that all merchants conducting business within the urbs of Alexandria must register their goods with the local authorities.

  Explanation: In this context, urbs refers to the city of Alexandria, a major urban center within the Roman Empire, demonstrating its use to denote any significant city or town beyond just Rome.

• Example 2 (The city of Rome): A decree from the Senate might declare that "all public works projects within the urbs shall be overseen by the Aediles."

  Explanation: Here, urbs specifically refers to the capital city of Rome, indicating that the Aediles' jurisdiction for public works is confined to the imperial capital itself, distinguishing it from other cities or towns in the empire.

• Example 3 (Distinction between urban and rural): Ancient Roman legal texts might discuss different property rights or taxation schemes for land located within an urbs compared to agricultural land in the surrounding countryside (ager).

  Explanation: This example highlights urbs as a distinct urban area with its own specific legal framework, contrasting it with rural or agricultural regions and illustrating its general meaning as a city or town.