Seminar: “Le rite réalise le droit“? – Rituals and the Law in the Ancient World

3. Juni 2026

The seminar ist hosted by the Marburg University & Marburg Center for the Ancient World (MCAW)

In person participation: 
Marburg University, Room 00A26, Deutschhausstraße 12, 35032 Marburg

Date: 12–13 June 2026 (Friday–Saturday)

In ancient studies, it has become commonplace to emphasise the legal dimension of rituals. Whether in court-like proceedings before the divine judge Šamaš in Babylonian-Assyrian purification rituals or in the legal authority of divine decisions established through divination, rituals frequently employ legal terminology and invoke judicial settings to lend legitimacy to their concerns. Conversely, the role of ritual elements in legal contexts as a means of clarifying and legitimising decisions has received far less systematic attention. Nevertheless, ancient sources document ritual acts such as throwing metal lumps into the sea to confirm an oath, river ordeals, or the punishment of perjurers by pouring lead into their mouths. Other examples include mock trials conducted in court to effect the transfer of property (in iure cessio and related procedures), mancipatio, nexum, and solutio per aes et libram, as well as the communal consumption of spelt bread in marriages (confarreatio).

The full Program in PDF format is available here:

Program