معرفی
Dario Mantovani is Professor at the Collège de France holding the Chair of Law, Culture and Society of Ancient Rome. He also teaches the course on the history of institutions in Late Antiquity at the Università della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano) since 2016 and co-organizes a workshop on the sources of Roman law at the French School in Rome since 2017. His academic profile demonstrates deep expertise in Roman legal thought and its cultural dimensions.
Professor Mantovani's research explores Roman law as a technique of thought and a tool for governing social relations, with emphasis on four thematic areas: the literary dimension in Roman juristic works; the persistence of classical Roman law as a "hidden structure" in Late Antiquity; the historiography of legal culture; and the conceptual lexicon of law with its values and techniques. His recent work focuses on how Roman jurists conceptualized nature, animals, and legal reasoning through metaphorical frameworks, particularly examining Ulpian's legal thought and the historical continuity of Roman legal categories into modern environmental and animal law discussions.
Analysis of his recent course offerings reveals a consistent scholarly trajectory examining anthropocentrism in Roman jurisprudence, the conceptualization of natural law, and the classification systems used by Roman jurists to categorize animals and natural phenomena. His work demonstrates how Roman legal categories continue to influence contemporary legal thinking about humanity's relationship with nature.
- Correspondent of the Accademia dei Lincei (October 2024)
Professor Mantovani actively supervises doctoral research through the Doctoral Seminar organized by his Chair at the Collège de France. His collaborative work includes co-organizing the workshop on Roman law sources at the French School in Rome and participating in interdisciplinary projects like the "Sustainable Common Future" initiative with Marc Fontecave and Jean-Marie Tarascon. His teaching methodology emphasizes direct engagement with primary sources to rediscover the world of ancient Rome, positioning Roman law understanding as fundamental to European legal tradition and contemporary conflict resolution techniques.
His research team maintains close connections with the French School in Rome and the Università della Svizzera Italiana, facilitating ongoing scholarly dialogue about Roman legal history and its contemporary relevance. The Chair regularly hosts guest speakers like James Q. Whitman and Ido Israelowich, creating an international research network focused on ancient legal systems.
