La potestas occupandi dans l'Afrique romaine

Résumé En Fr

Hadrian used an Italian tradition, which was a military one in the beginning, the occupatio between the public lands, in order to encourage the agricultural produce and to reinforce the peasant possession. The potestas occupandi set down in the lex Hadriana, which was applied as far as the first Severian dynasty at least, created some rights which contrasted strongly with the elementary anterior tolerance (liceto, licentia, permittitur). But it seems the ius occupandi was not so in favour during the Later Empire, perhaps because other provisions of law, either new ones as emphyteosis, or ancient ones, as the African consuetudo manciana, were preferred.

Hadrien utilisa une tradition italienne d'origine militaire, l'occupatio des terres publiques, pour favoriser la production agricole dans l'Empire et consolider la possession paysanne. La potestas occupandi inscrite dans la lex Hadriana, laquelle fut appliquée jusqu'aux premiers Sévères au moins, créait des droits qui tranchaient avec la simple tolérance antérieure (liceto, licentia, permittitur). Le ius occupandi paraît, en revanche, avoir été moins favorisé dans l'Empire tardif, au profit d'autres dispositions, nouvelles comme l'emphytéose, ou anciennes, comme la consuetudo manciana africaine.