first occurs in Pliny (HN 9,35,117 mancupatio) in place of mancipium (mancupium), to describe an ancient Roman civil law action establishing power over persons ( mancipium ) or objects ( dominium ).
The mancipatio procedure for the 2nd cent. AD is depicted as follows (Gai. Inst. 1,119): in the presence of five witnesses and a bearer of the scales (libripens), all of them Roman citizens of full age ( quirites ), the person receiving the object declares as follows: a) that he is the owner under Quiritary law, and: b) that he has purchased the object w…