mancipatio

Updated: July 3, 2026

Beyond doubt -mancipatio- was originally the universal form of purchase, and occurred in the case of all articles even after the Servian reform; it was only a misunderstanding of later ages which put upon the rule, that certain articles had to be transferred by -mancipatio-, the construction that these articles only and no others could be so transferred. I. VII. Relation of Rome to Latium

Theodor Mommsen - The History of Rome, Book I : The Period Anterior to the Abolition of the Monarchy