Gnei Flavius

Gnei Flavius ( lat. Gnaeus Flavius ; died after 304 BC) is an ancient Roman lawyer, the son of a freedman, who reached the highest position in the Roman Republic ^[1] .

Flavius ​​served as secretary to the consul of Appia Claudius . It was a civic job, paid from a public treasury. The position allowed him to gain knowledge of Roman law , which was traditionally considered the prerogative of the nobility. Flavius ​​was the first person to make public information about the legal process ( lat. Legislative actiones ). The requirements to make this process understandable were one of the important demands of the plebeians in their confrontation with the patricians in the Roman Republic. In 451 BC e. plebeians achieved the fulfillment of their requirements - Roman law was codified in the form of laws of the XII tables , which provided plebeians with access to knowledge of the laws. However, the interpretation of laws remained the prerogative of patrician judges.

In recognition of his merits, Gnei Flavius ​​in 304 BC. e. He was elected Edil - responsible for the maintenance of public buildings, the purchase of grain and the organization of holidays, one of the two magistrates. The occupation of such a position at that time was unheard of for the sons of freedmen. His election led to reforms that forced him to grant greater suffrage to Roman freedmen ^[2] . Flavius ​​also presented at the Forum a draft calendar, which included references to dies fasti - days in which business activity was allowed ^[3] .

In 305 or 304 BC e., perhaps, was a folk tribune .