It reads very much as a record of customs, which it probably was, and reflects the practices of a feuding society, one without a strong state, where offences were matters of private wrong. There is no evidence that any of these codes had a direct impact on the resolution of disputes. Written in Latin, they were more like gestures to Rome, markers of civilization, and attempts to create a common identity among the new coalitions of tribal groups than practical instruments designed to assist judges resolving conflicts.
