Legal Definitions - mancipatio

Definition: Mancipatio is a legal process used in ancient Roman law to transfer property through a formal sale. It required the presence of the property being transferred and five adult male citizens as witnesses.

Example: If a person wanted to transfer ownership of a piece of land to another person, they would perform mancipatio. The seller would grasp the land and say certain words to indicate the transfer of ownership, while the witnesses looked on.

This example illustrates how mancipatio was a formal and ritualistic process that involved specific actions and words to ensure the legal transfer of property.