Becoming Roman?: Diverging Identities and Experiences in Ancient Northwest Italy

386 Pages·2013·15.628 MB·English

by  Ralph Haeussler

BECOMI G ROMA ?
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BECOMING ROMAN?
DIVERGI G, IDE TITIES AND EXPERIENCES
I A CIE ORTHWES T I ALY
Ralph Haeussler
Wa lnut Creek , California
Left
coast
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Press
~
LEFT COAST PRESS, INC.
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Copyright© 2013 by Left Coast Press, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this public ation may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmi tted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or othenvise,
without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN 978-'1-61132-186-9 hardback
ISBN 978-'1-61132-188-3 institutional eBook
ISBN 978-'1-61132-443-3 consumer eBook
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Haeuss ler, Ralph
Becoming Roman ? Diverging identities and experiences in ancient northwest
Italy/Ralph Haeuss ler.
pages cm.- {Publicarions of the Institute of Archaeology, University College
London; volume 5 7)
Includes bibliographical references and index .
ISB 978-'1-61132-186-9 (hardback: alk. paper )-I SB 978-1-61132-188-3
(institutional eBook ) - ISB 978-1-61132-443-3 (consumer eBook }
1. Rome-E thnic relations. 2. Rome-H istory- Republic, 265- 30 B.C.
3. Assimilation (Sociology)- Rome-History. 4. Assimilation {Sociology)- Italy.
Northern - History. 5. Acculturation - Rome -H istory. 6. Acculturation
Italy, Northern--History. 7. Imperialism--Soc ial aspects- Rome-History.
8. Imperialism- Social aspects-Italy, orthem-History. . 9. Italy. orthern
Antiquities Roman. 10. Italy, Northern - Material culture. I. Title.
DG'190. H34 2013
305 .80093 7'63-dc23
2013001080
Printed in the United States of America
· 7be paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences-P ermanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48- '1992.
Contents
List of Illustrations 7
Foreword 11
Preface 15
Introduction : De-Romanising the Roman E1npire 1
1. Conceptualising Processes of Sociocultural Change 2·
1.1 Deconstructing 'Romanisation' 2·
1.2 Adoptions and Adaptations in an As} 1nmetric
Contact Situation 30
1.3 Integrating the Periphery~ and its People 3 8
1.4 Negotiating Identities in a Global Wor ld 48
1.5 The Individual and His/Her Personal Choices 64
1.6 From De-Romanising Italy to Individual Creat ivity 71
2. Discrepant Identities in the Republic 7 5
2.1 Cukural Identities at the 'Eve' of the Conquest 77
2.2 The Destructiveness of the Roman Conquest 91
2.3 Identi ties and the Socioeconomics of Coinage 97
2.4 Peace Treaties and Their Cultural Implications 108
2.5 Latin Rights.: Integration and Segregating 112
2.6 Discrepant Identities: Epigraphy and Onomastics 117
2.7 The Last Generation of 'Celto-Ligurians' 125
2.8 Conclusion: Persistence, Bricolage and Rupture 140
3. The Roman Framework : Overpowering or Make-believe? 145
3.1 Economic Landsca pe 148
3.2 Colonisation as Forced Assimilation? 152
3.3 Adn1inistrative 'Conformity' and Urban Culture 163
3.4 Resume : The Li1nits of Roman Imperialism 178
4. Adapting and Integrating in the Principate 181
4.1 Clemenc} and Integration 182
4.2 Roman Citizenship and Legal Discourse 187
4.3 The Army as Mo tor of Integration 201
5. Identity-creation in a Global World 215
5.1 Elites and Elite Culture 217
5 .2 Towards an Imperial Society 231
5 .3 Urbanism and Humanitas 236
5 .4 Rural 'Romanitas'? 241
5.5 Religious Choices in the Principate 251
5 .6 Dynamic Identities of Suhelite Classes: Emulation,
Assimilation and Creolisation 280
6. Conclusions: 'Becoming Roman' in Northwest Italy? 305
Appendix: Site Index 323
References 333
Index 367
About the Autho r 386
Illustrations
TABLES
Table 2.1 Historic e, ents affecting orth west Ital v in
·'
the 4th- 1st centuries BC 76
Table 2.2 Iron Age periods in Nortlnvest Italy 77
Table 2.3 The t) pes of the Cisalpine drachma, their weight,
iconography, Greek and Lepontic legends and their
major areas of circulation in Nor th Italy 100
Table 3.1 Roman colonies and other 'to, ;vns' in orth west Italv
·'
during the Republic 156
Table 3.2 Centuria tion in Northwest Ital1 160
Table 3.3 Evidence for Roman-stj le institutions and magistracies
in ortlnvest Italy 165
Table 4.1 Roman-citizen municipalities in Northwest Italy and
their attribution to Roman voting tribes 190
Table 4.2 People's gender and social status in the epigraphic
record of orth west Italy 200
Table 4.3 Major areas of recruitment of legionaries from
regiones IX and XI in the early Principate 205
Table 4.4 Army personnel from the various ciuitates of
Northwes t Italy, including those attested elsewhere
in Italy and the provinces 206
Tab le 5.1 Differences in the epigraphic habit in two municipia
of indigenous origin: ovaria and"\ ercellae 219
Table 5.2 Overvinv of dedications in Northwest Ital 1 224
Table 5.3 Equites and senators in orthwest Ital 1 236
Table 5.4 Dedications fro1n Snno ( ovara ) 270
Table 5.5 List of tra des and occupations attes ted in
Northwes t Italy 283
Table 5.6 Epigra phic attestations of plebs and collegia in
Northwest Italy 289
Table 5.7 Distribution of ages on funerary inscriptions in
the Cana vese 302
FIGURES
Figure I.1 The area of study, consisting of modern-day Liguria,
Piedmont, Aosta and the LomeHina (Lombardy )
west of the river Ticino 19
Figure 2.1 <Cassetta litica' tornbs from the pre-Roman cemeter 7
of Ameglia-Cafaggio 84
Figure 2.2 A local cultural debate with La Tene art: brooch
with human head from Libarna 86
Figure 2.3 Ethnic names of Celts and Ligurians attested in
Northwest Italy 88
Figure 2.4 Oinochoe in o~ erpainted black-glaze ware
from Li barn a 90
Figure 2.5 Massalian prototype of the drachma 100
Figure 2.6 The Massaliote lion increasing ly acquired
abstract forms 101
Figure 2.7 Distribution map of Padane draclunas in
Cisalpine Gaul 102
Figure 2.8 Distribution map of Padane drachma ·with
Lepontic legen ds 102
Figure 2.9 The latest Padane drachma with the Lepontic
legend rikoslrikoi 103
Figure 2.10 Padane drachma with Lepontic toutiopouos legend 103
Figure 2.11 The bronze tablet discovered at Polcevera in
1506 AD containing the sententia Minuciorum
of 117 BC 111
Figure 2.12 The bilingual inscription from Vercellae 119
Figure 2.13 The Lepontic inscription from Briana,
San Bernardino ( ovara ) 122
Figure 2.14 The Lepontic inscription from Cureggio (1 ovara ) 124
Figure 2.15 Various types of vasi a trottola that are typical for
the La Tene period in Northwest Italy 128
Figure 2.16 Distribution map of va.si a trottola. in the
second and first centuries BC 129
Figure 2.17 Ligurian bottoni conici: part of ,:vomen ~s dress in
Liguria down to the Augustan period 132
Figure 2.18 La Tene brooches frorn Valeggio (Pavia ) 132
Figure 2.19 A ritually bent sword from the late Iron Age
cemetery of Oleggio ( ovara ) 133
Figure 2.20 Valeggio, Tomb 126 of the early first century BC
with its typical grave goods 136
Figure 2.21 Ga.mbol6-Belcreda, Tomb 21 (120-70 BC)
with vasi a trottola; Roman-style olpai,
bowls and pat.era 137
Figure 3.1 Schematic map of the Ron1an colon, of
Eporedia (Ivrea ) 157
Figure 3.2 Map of the Augustan colony of Augusta
Praetoria (Aosta ) 158
Figure 3.3 Turin 's <Porta Pabtina' toda y 158
Figure 3.4 Centuriation and urban centres in Nonhwest Italy 161
Figure 4.1 Statue base dedicated to the ernperor Augustus by
the Salassi incolae 183
Figure 4.2 The arch of Susa 185
Figure 4.3 The arch of Susa. Frieze and dedication of Cottius,
son of King Donnus (8 BC) 186
Figure 5.1 Dedication to Domitia Vettilia, daughter of Patruinus 221
Figure 5.2 Inscription in situ frorn the necropolis of Cerrione 222
Figure 5.3 Air photo of the Iseion in Bodincomagus-Industria 232
Figure 5.4 Distribution map of inscrip tions discovered in the
Monferrato, indica ting the residences of local elites 243
Figure 5.5 Villa of Varignano Vecchio (Porto venere, La Spezia )
near Luna overlooking the Mediterranean Sea 244
Figure 5.6 Villa Romana of Caselette, west of Turin 246
Figure 5.7 The pietre fluviale of [E]nicus Roucarius Dissi f(ilius)
decurio from PoHentia 24 8
Figure 5.8 The capitolium of the Roman colony of Luna 25 3
Figure 5.9 Relief of a typical Roman sacrifice discovered at
Sal ussola (Beilla ) 254
Figure 5.10 Dedication to the Matronae from V ercellae 260
Figure 5.11 Votive deposit with inscribed dedications to the
god Albiorix from Oulx (Torino ) 261
Figure 5.12 Schematic plan of Jupiter Poeninus's sanctuar,
at the Great Saint Bernard pass 262
Figure 5.13 Altar frmn Demonte (Cuneo ) with a unique
dedication to the gods Rubacascus and Robeonus 264
Figure 5.14 Large rnarb le altar from Avigliana/Fines Cotti
(Alpes Cottiae ) 267
Figure 5.15 Distribution map of Matronae dedications in
Northwest Italy 268
Figure 5.1 6 Dedication to Mercury b) Gaius Moge tius
Gaetulicus 271
Figure 5.17 Dedication to Silvanus by Quintus Tossatus
Symphorus, Augusta Taurinorum 273
Figure 5.18 One of several bronze figurines of Hercules
discovered at Borgosesia (Torino ) 275
Figure 5.19 Three ded ications to Diana from Savigliano (Cuneo ) 276
Figure 5.20 Tra nsporta tio n of wine on a stele from Bene,
AD 50- 100 284
Figure 5.21 Funerary stele of a comb-maker from Asti,
second century AD 284
Figure 5.22 Production and sale of drapery, AD 150- 250 285
Figure 5.23 Dedication to eptune by the piscatores 287
Figure 5.24 T 01nbstone of a shoemaker frmn VerceHae 292
Figure 5.25 One of the many elabora te funerary monuments
of free dmen 294
Figure 5.26 Inscription of Celtic name 1\1ocetius with
patronymic 'son of Ivantugenus' 298
Figure 5.27 Inscription of T ertia Dometia, Maconis filia from
Valperga (Canavese ) 298
Figure 5.28 Funerary stele of Atilia Seuerina Firmi l(iberta)
from Valperga (Cana.vese) 299
Figure 5.29 Stele from Cirie (Canavese, Tur in) 300
Figure 5.30 Funerary stele of Secundina Aebutia from Sa.n
Ponso (Canavese ) 301
Figure 5.31 Gallo-Roman stele from Prascorsano (Canavese )
with clear 'Cel tic' influences 301