Commistioni improprie : a proposito della legislazione costantiniana circa le unioni fra donne libere e schiavi

A law issued by Constantine in 326 BC punished harshly the relationships between slaves and their mistresses. The text of the constitution is complex and can lead to interpretation errors also due to the Greek- Hellenistic origin of its compiler. Traditionally the law has been interpreted as an example of the Christian moralism of the emperor. However it is more likely that the constitution was not so much enacted for moral reasons but to counteract the lack of respect for consolidated status barriers, shown even by some Christian groups.