Institutes (Gaius)

The Institutes (Latin: Institutiones; from instituere, 'to establish') is a beginners' textbook on Roman private law written around 161 CE by the classical Roman jurist Gaius. The Institutes are considered to be "by far the most influential elementary-systematic presentation of Roman private law in late antiquity, the Middle Ages and modern times". The content of the textbook was considered to be lost until 1816, when a manuscript of it − probably of the 5th century − was discovered.

The Institutes are divided into four books. The first book considers the legal status of persons (personae), the second and third deal with property rights (res corporales and res incorporales), and the fourth discusses procedural actions (actiones).