Throughout its history, Europe has been influenced by Roman culture, which had a strong sense of society and was highly legal-minded. Hence, Roman law is of major importance in European thinking. It was the first subject to be taught at European universities and it remains tightly interwoven with all layers of European civilization. In Amne adverso, Laurent Waelkens provides an introduction to the history of Roman law and its institutions, as they developed from antiquity until the nineteenth century. Concepts such as fundamental rights and freedoms, lawsuits, family law, rights in rem, and obligations have their origins in classical antiquity and were developed further throughout European history. Waelkens treats Roman legal heritage from the perspective of comparative legal history.