Israel Institute for Advanced Studies
Israel
fellow
Jakob Fortunat Stagl
2026-2027
Home institution
Autonomous University of Barcelona
Country of origin (home institution)
Spain
Discipline(s)
Ancient history; Humanities; Law
Theme(s)
Cultural Studies; Gender, Family & Youth
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Born in Austria and raised in Germany, Jakob Fortunat Stagl received his doctorate from the University of Freiburg in 2001 and completed his habilitation at the University of Bonn in 2007. After teaching for several years in Germany, he was appointed to the Andrés Bello Chair of Roman law at the University of Chile. He subsequently held a full professorship at the University of Warsaw and is currently a full Professor of Roman Law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He has held visiting appointments at Clare Hall, Cambridge, the Autonomous University of Madrid, and the University of Warsaw. His research encompasses Roman law in all its aspects, with a particular focus on the morphology and hermeneutics of Justinian’s Digest.
Research Project
Koinonia in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures
Jakob Stagl will participate in the research group Koinonia in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures, convened by Ayelet Hoffmann Libson and Orit Malka, with a project entitled Societas Leonina: Private and Public.
In the late Roman Republic, jurists debated whether a partnership (societas) could be structured so that one partner (socius) received a greater share of the profits while bearing a smaller share of the losses. Some regarded such arrangements as contrary to the natura societatis, whereas others defended them in recognition of the differing value of the partners’ contributions. Unequal allocations of profits and losses came to be accepted, but the societas leonina, under which a partner bore losses without sharing in profits, was held invalid.
These debates offer a striking point of comparison with Rome’s transition from republican ideals of shared authority towards a monarchical concentration of power. The project investigates these possible parallels, examining how notions of inequality, collaboration, and authority intersected in both private law and public life.
Research Interests:
Roman Law; Private Law; Comparative Law; Roman Family Law; Matrimonial Property Law; Transfer of Ownership; Testamentary Interpretation; Comparative Legal Methodology;