Junge Romanistentage 2024

On Wednesday 12 June and Thursday 13 June, the annual meeting of the Dutch Young Romanists took place at the University of Münster. At the young Romanist Days, PhD students in the field of legal history have the chance to present and discuss their research amongst each other, without the critical eye of their Doktorvater or -Mutter present. A diverse range of topics was discussed, from classical Roman law to the reception history, from public to private law and the always intriguing twilight zone in between. 

Four PhD-students held a presentation on an aspect of their thesis. Maarten Klink, PhD candidate at the Radboud University Nijmegen, talked about how the Roman concept of praescriptio played a role in the power struggle between the pope and worldly leaders. Eva Drommel, PhD candidate at Leiden University, discussed the concurrence of actions out of the private law-oriented lex Aquilia, and the criminal lex Cornelia de sicariis et veneficiis, a first-century law by Sulla aimed at tackling gangster-practices in ancient Rome. Ward Strengers, PhD candidate at the University of Münster, evaluated the priority of the general pledge of the Roman fiscus, by way of an exegesis of D. 20,4,21 pr. Lastly, Willem Rijnenberg, PhD candidate at the Radboud University Nijmegen, took the participants along a tour of the workings and implications of the pactum de distrahendo pignore, in a comparison between Roman and French law. 

After the presentations, the young academics gathered for drinks in the Rechtshistorische Bibliothek. The young Romanists Days were concluded with a dinner together, followed by a city tour, a boat trip along the Aasee and a visit to the Freilichtmuseum Mühlenhof on Thursday.