Summary

Roman law is often regarded as uniform law. However, two main periods may be distinguished in the Roman jurisprudence. During the first, pre-classical period, Roman law was influenced by Stoa philosophy. From it, Roman jurists derived principled, natural law thinking. The second is the period of classical jurisprudence. At the beginning of the classical period, institutionalised thinking based on logically arranged systems prevailed. Then, in the 1^st century AD, two opposing schools of jurisprudence evolved in Rome: the sects of Sabinians and Proculians. The latter advocated principles deriving from the institutionalised theory of law, whereas Sabinians reintroduced principled thinking and natural law common in the pre-classical period. The author gives a brief overview of the development and flourishing of the Roman jurisprudence, flavouring it with examples of conflicts between different schools in concrete legal matters.