Sacrosanct

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Sacrosanctity was a right of tribunes in Ancient Rome to not be harmed physically. Plebeians took an oath to regard anyone who laid hands on a tribune as an outlaw liable to be killed without penalty. The term comes from the phrase sacer esto ("let him be accursed") and reflects that violation of a tribune's sacrosanctity was not only a secular offense, but a religious offense as well.^[1]

[edit] References

1. ^ Boatwright et al., The Romans, From Village to Empire, p. 56 ISBN 9780195118766

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