Roman imperialism, globalization and Romanization in early Roman Italy. Research questions in archaeology and ancient history

Abstract

Viewed from the perspective of early Roman Italy, Versluys's stimulating proposal is extremely thought-provoking, both with regard to the framework proposed and with regard to what we might call an ‘ahistorical’ approach that explicitly places a material-culture studies perspective at the centre of analysis. This proposed approach interacts in a variety of fascinating ways with the direction that study of the early Roman expansion and Roman Italy has taken over the last two decades, both in terms of research topics and questions, and also in terms of the academic and disciplinary setting within which they have developed. In order to stimulate the debate from the perspective of ‘the beginnings’ of the expanding Roman world, I would like to reflect briefly here on some of these potential interactions as I see them. Below, I will sketch the development of the discussion for early Roman Italy and raise two main, interrelated points.

Native Deities and Multiple Identities: An Anthropological Approach to Reconceptualising Divine Marriage in the Roman Provinces

“…Provincial religions were conventionally interpreted as reflective of a neutral, laissez-faire syncretism whereby polytheistic peoples willingly welcomed new divinities and/or drew equivalences between indigenous and non-indigenous deities (Haverfield 1923;Webster 1995;Green 1995;Aldhouse-Green 2003. A large body of work from scholars such as Woolf (1997;, Hingley (2000Hingley ( , 2003, van Dommelen and Lopez-Bertran (2003), Mattingly (2010), and Stek (2014) sought to challenge the dominant acculturative discourse in Roman archaeology by focusing on the range of responses elicited, from collaboration and adaptation to resistance. The diverse interactions that took place in the provinces created a new culture and new religion that was neither Roman nor indigenous, but drew upon these two elements to varying degrees dependent upon the individuals that produced it (Aldhouse- Green 2003Green , 2012Watson 2005;Revell 2007;Häussler 2012).…”

Craftsmanship and Identity in the Hellenistic Funerary Reliefs of Naples: An Archaeological and Archaeometric Analysis

“…Their actual origin cannot always be relevant for understanding how they were put to use. In many cases, it is the context and motives for choosing them that may be crucial (on the case of early Roman Italy, see especially Stek , , with bibliography). In the case of the Neapolitan reliefs, valuable information for an understanding of their function is to be found in their specific historical and archaeological context.…”

“…One of the most stimulating new trends places material culture at the centre of the analysis, with the increasing collaboration between archaeology, ancient history and archaeometry scholars in the study of ancient Italy in the period of the early Roman expansion (see the discussion in Stek , ). The reconstruction of the circulation of goods between Italy and the Hellenistic world (in a geographical sense) and the imitation of Greek styles in Italy on a case‐by‐case basis is making a valuable contribution to the current debate.…”

Pre-Roman improvements to agricultural production: Evidence from livestock husbandry in late prehistoric Italy

“…Roman conquest brought about an end to the Iron Age and significant changes to the social and economic organisation of Western Europe [16–18], including to animal farming strategies [12]. New methods of production are evident in changes to the species exploited and–breaking with millennia of progressive size diminution–a significant increase in the size of livestock.…”