Introductory

In Roman law the term iudicia was used to denote judicial proceedings in general. These were divided into two categories: iudicia publica and iudicia privata. The former were concerned with wrongful acts affecting the interests of the community as a whole; the object of the latter was the resolution of disputes between private citizens. But in early law the boundary between criminal and civil jurisdiction was not clearly marked and, in contrast to modem law, acts such as theft and robbery were regarded as private wrongs. In general, with respect to private law, the state had no interest beyond that of providing the means for resolving disputes in an orderly and socially acceptable way.