Alfons Bürge is a Swiss scholar of Ancient Law, with a special interest in the comparative study of Ancient and Modern Law. Born in Winterthur, Switzerland, in 1947, Bürge studied the Classics at the University of Zurich. He received his Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Zurich in 1972 with a dissertation on the defense speech Pro Murena by Cicero (directed by Professor Heinz Haffter). His work on Cicero led him to scholarly interest in Roman law, and so he went on to study under Professor Max Kaser at the University of Salzburg and then he completed a doctorate at the University of Zurich in 1979 with a dissertation on Retentio in Roman law (directed by Professor Hans Peter). With the support of a fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation, he researched the development