Roman law as a field of study is rapidly evolving to reflect new perspectives and approaches in research. Scholars who work on the subject are increasingly being asked to conduct research in an interdisciplinary manner whereby Roman law is not merely seen as a set of abstract concepts devoid of any background, but as a body of law which operated in a specific social, economic and cultural context. Since the mid-1960s, a new academic movement has advocated a 'law and society' approach to the study of Roman law instead of the prevailing dogmatic methodology. This 'context-based' approach to the study of law and society in the Roman world is an exciting new field which legal historians must address and which is largely unexplored. This interdisciplinary collection focuses on three larger themes which have emerged from these studies: Roman legal thought; the interaction between legal theory and legal practice; and the relationship between law and economics. Paul du Plessis is a legal historian at the University of Edinburgh and convener of the Edinburgh Roman Law Group. He is co-author (with John Cairns) of Beyond Dogmatics: Law and Society in the Roman World (Edinburgh University Press, 2007) and author of Letting and Hiring in Roman Legal Thought: 27 BCE-284 CE (2012). Cover image: Mosaic with two ships and a lighthouse. Statio 49 of the Piazzale delle Corporazioni, Ostia Antica, Latium, Italy (c) Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons. Cover design: [EUP logo] www.euppublishing.com