Culture, Ethnicity, and Frontiers Culture, Ethnicity, and Frontiers in the Roman Empirein the Roman Empire

Problem of RomanizationProblem of Romanization

Luttwak’s Hegemonic Empire

RomanizationRomanization

What Is It?What Is It? Francis Haverfield and the Coinage of Francis Haverfield and the Coinage of

the Termthe Term Center and PeripheryCenter and Periphery Post-Colonial Discourses and Post-Colonial Discourses and

Complexities of “Acculturation”Complexities of “Acculturation”

Romanization as Romanization as HellenizationHellenization

Impact of Greek Culture in Impact of Greek Culture in Roman SocietyRoman Society

Significant Contacts with Significant Contacts with Greece from circa 200 Greece from circa 200 BCEBCE

Wars against Hellenistic Monarchs Wars against Hellenistic Monarchs (Philip V; Antiochus III)(Philip V; Antiochus III)

Third-Second Century BCE: Arrival Third-Second Century BCE: Arrival of Poetry at Rome: Livius of Poetry at Rome: Livius Andronicus’ Andronicus’ OdysseyOdyssey; Ennius’ ; Ennius’ AnnalesAnnales

Beginnings of Roman Beginnings of Roman Historiography: Fabius Pictor writes Historiography: Fabius Pictor writes in Greek ca. 200 BCEin Greek ca. 200 BCE

Roman Approach/Avoidance Roman Approach/Avoidance Conflict with Greek CultureConflict with Greek Culture

Periodic Expulsions of Greek Periodic Expulsions of Greek Philosophers and Rhetoricians in Philosophers and Rhetoricians in Second Century BCESecond Century BCE

Bacchanalian Conspiracy of 186 BCEBacchanalian Conspiracy of 186 BCE Portrait Sculpture: Veristic—“Warts Portrait Sculpture: Veristic—“Warts

and All” and All” Foundation Myth: Adoption of the Foundation Myth: Adoption of the

Trojan LegendTrojan Legend

Portrait Bust:Roman “Verism”

Alexander:HellenisticIdealizingPortraiture

Cn. Pompeius Magnus (106- 48

BCE)

Cato the Elder (234-149 Cato the Elder (234-149 BCEBCE))

““And in the effort to turn his son against And in the effort to turn his son against Greek culture…he pronounced with all Greek culture…he pronounced with all the solemnity of a prophet that if ever the the solemnity of a prophet that if ever the Romans became infected with the Romans became infected with the literature of Greece, they would lose their literature of Greece, they would lose their empire. At any rate time has exposed the empire. At any rate time has exposed the emptiness of this ominous prophecy, for emptiness of this ominous prophecy, for in the age in which the city rose to the in the age in which the city rose to the zenith of its greatness, its people had zenith of its greatness, its people had made themselves familiar with Greek made themselves familiar with Greek learning and culture in all its forms” learning and culture in all its forms” (Plutarch, (Plutarch, CatoCato 23) 23)

Vergil, Vergil, AeneidAeneid, 847-53, 847-53

““Others will cast more tenderly in Others will cast more tenderly in bronze/Their breathing figures, I can well bronze/Their breathing figures, I can well believe/And bring more lifelike portraits believe/And bring more lifelike portraits out of marble/Argue more eloquently, use out of marble/Argue more eloquently, use the pointer/To trace the paths of heaven the pointer/To trace the paths of heaven accurately/And accurately foretell the accurately/And accurately foretell the rising stars/Roman, remember your rising stars/Roman, remember your strength to rule/Earth’s peoples-for your strength to rule/Earth’s peoples-for your arts are to be these/To pacify, to impose arts are to be these/To pacify, to impose the rule of law/To spare the conquered, the rule of law/To spare the conquered, battle down the proud”battle down the proud”

Triumph of Hellenism at Triumph of Hellenism at RomeRome

Horace, Horace, EpistulaeEpistulae 2.1.156-7: 2.1.156-7: “Captured Greece seized the fierce “Captured Greece seized the fierce conqueror and carried the arts into conqueror and carried the arts into

rustic Latium”rustic Latium” Idealizing (Hellenistic) Portraiture from Idealizing (Hellenistic) Portraiture from

Augustus onwardsAugustus onwards Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Greek in the Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Greek in the

Augustan age); Aelius Aristides (mid-2Augustan age); Aelius Aristides (mid-2ndnd c. c. CE): Rome becomes a Greek cityCE): Rome becomes a Greek city

Incorporation and Rejection of Hellenism: Incorporation and Rejection of Hellenism: Apollonian vs. Dionysian (see P. Zanker, Apollonian vs. Dionysian (see P. Zanker, Power of ImagesPower of Images, pp. 33-77), pp. 33-77)

Vespasian (69-79 CE): State Chairs for Greek Vespasian (69-79 CE): State Chairs for Greek and Latin Rhetoric and Latin Rhetoric

Philhellenic Emperors: Hadrian (117-138 CE); Philhellenic Emperors: Hadrian (117-138 CE); the Stoic emperor, M. Aurelius (161-180 CE)the Stoic emperor, M. Aurelius (161-180 CE)

““Romanization” as Romanization” as UrbanizationUrbanization

ProvincesProvinces

In the ProvincesIn the ProvincesRomanization and Romanization and

UrbanizationUrbanization

Market PlaceMarket Place TheaterTheater GymnasiumGymnasium BathsBaths AmphitheaterAmphitheater

An Urban Network in Roman GaulAn Urban Network in Roman Gaulfrom Woolf, from Woolf, Becoming RomanBecoming Roman

““Romanization” as Romanization” as Acculturation:Acculturation:

Amphitheater and Amphitheater and BathsBaths

Amphitheater at El-Djem (Africa)Amphitheater at El-Djem (Africa)

AmphitheaterAmphitheateratat

NimesNimes(France)(France)

Roman Aqueduct at Segovia Roman Aqueduct at Segovia (Spain)(Spain)

Ruins of North African AqueductRuins of North African Aqueduct

AqueduAqueductct

over over thethe

River River GardGard

““[T]he fundamental problem [T]he fundamental problem with ‘Romanization’ as a term with ‘Romanization’ as a term is that it implies a unilateral is that it implies a unilateral

transfer of culture, whereas it transfer of culture, whereas it is clear that not only was is clear that not only was

cultural exchange bilateral, it cultural exchange bilateral, it was also multi-directional.”was also multi-directional.”

D.J. MattinglyD.J. Mattingly

““In any case, no end to all In any case, no end to all difference was achieved by the difference was achieved by the

Romans, no single homogeneous Romans, no single homogeneous ‘Roman civilization’, partly because ‘Roman civilization’, partly because

of the limits of their will and of the limits of their will and administrative powers, partly administrative powers, partly

because what they carried abroad because what they carried abroad in Augustus’ day was a civilization in Augustus’ day was a civilization already so full of differences, so already so full of differences, so

broadly Mediterranean in the loose broadly Mediterranean in the loose sense.”sense.”

R. MacMullen, R. MacMullen, Romanization in the Time of Romanization in the Time of

AugustusAugustus (2000) (2000)

““It is not Rome-centered; it is not It is not Rome-centered; it is not easily sought in literary texts; easily sought in literary texts;

rather, it is archeological, and of rather, it is archeological, and of the provinces.”the provinces.”

R. MacMullen, R. MacMullen, Romanization in the Time of Romanization in the Time of

AugustusAugustus (2000) (2000)

Who Was ‘Romanized’?Who Was ‘Romanized’?

“The elite adopted the culture of the “The elite adopted the culture of the Romans in order to create prestige, Romans in order to create prestige, reflecting the increasing political reflecting the increasing political

power that they had acquired power that they had acquired through Roman support. Attention through Roman support. Attention is focused mainly on the elite; the is focused mainly on the elite; the

evidence for their lives and beliefs is evidence for their lives and beliefs is strongest, and those lower in the strongest, and those lower in the

social hierarchy have only a social hierarchy have only a secondary role in the study.”secondary role in the study.”

R. HingleyR. Hingley