Roman Imperialism and Local Identities

✍ Scribed by Louise Revell

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 237
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In this book, Louise Revell examines questions of Roman imperialism and Roman ethnic identity and explores Roman imperialism as a lived experience based around the paradox of similarity and difference. Her case studies of public architecture in several urban settings provides an understanding of the ways in which urbanism, the emperor and religion were part of the daily encounters of the peoples in these communities. Revell applies the ideas of agency and practice in her examination of the structures that held the empire together and how they were implicated within repeated daily activities. Rather than offering a homogenized "ideal type" description of Roman cultural identity, she uses these structures as a way to understand how these encounters differed between communities and within communities, thus producing a more nuanced interpretation of what it was to be Roman. Bringing an innovative approach to the problem of Romanization, Revell breaks from traditional models and cuts across a number of entrenched debates such as arguments about the imposition of Roman culture or resistance to Roman rule.

✦ Table of Contents

COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 3
TITLE......Page 5
COPYRIGHT......Page 6
DEDICATION......Page 7
CONTENTS......Page 9
PREFACE......Page 11
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 15
1.1 Introduction......Page 17
1.2 The modern context of Roman identity......Page 21
1.3 Structuration theory and its application to Roman archaeology......Page 26
1.4 Approaches to buildings and inscriptions......Page 31
1.5 The tempo of Roman imperialism......Page 39
1.6 The case studies......Page 42
Colonia Aelia Augusta Italica......Page 43
Municipium Flavium Muniguense......Page 44
Municipium Augusta Bilbilis......Page 46
Venta Silurum......Page 48
Viroconium Cornoviorum......Page 49
Aquae Sulis......Page 50
1.7 Imperialism, identities and Roman urbanism......Page 52
1.1 Urbanism as ideology......Page 56
2.2 The ideology of urbanism......Page 60
2.3 An empire of towns......Page 65
2.4 Looking at towns: the built evidence......Page 71
2.5 Italica: an imperial showpiece......Page 73
2.6 Clunia: a conventus capital......Page 78
2.7 Londinium: a provincial centre......Page 83
2.8 Venta Silurum: scarcely urban at all?......Page 89
2.9 Urban ideologies – some conclusions......Page 92
3.1 Introduction......Page 96
3.2 The emperor’s image......Page 98
3.3 The emperor deified......Page 105
3.4 The emperor’s political authority......Page 115
3.5 An imperial history?......Page 119
3.6 Different places, different emperors......Page 123
4.1 Roman religion as practise......Page 126
4.2 Bath: a classical oddity?......Page 134
4.3 Munigua: the sanctuary on the hill......Page 145
4.4 Ritual at Italica......Page 153
4.5 Multa ex parvis......Page 158
4.6 Reconstructing Roman ritual......Page 162
5.1 Introduction......Page 166
5.2 Building for politics......Page 171
5.3 Buildings for religious ritual......Page 178
5.4 Buildings for entertainment......Page 183
5.5 Buildings for bathing......Page 188
5.6 Writing on stone......Page 195
5.7 A montage of experiences......Page 200
5.8 Conclusions......Page 205
SIX BEING ROMAN. . .......Page 207
Abbreviations......Page 211
INDEX......Page 235