Island archaeology, identity and resilience in Menorca through the Roman Epoch

Abstract

The ancient Talayotic Culture of Menorca can be best distinguished from that of Mallorca through peculiarities in its monumental architecture. This paper examines the social significance of Menorca’s megalithic structures, known as ‘taulas’. The construction of such visible monuments within the island’s cultural landscape at a time when foreign relations were increasing is significant in that it could suggest a conscious desire for differentiation from Mallorca, its larger and nearest Balearic Island neighbor. This article proposes that these monuments might have functioned as a source of social resilience for indigenous Menorcans, fostering and enabling the persistence of a distinct identity throughout the Roman epoch when the presence of Roman military personnel on the island further intensified foreign cultural interactions. Active engagement in identity curation might also have provided a sense of sovereignty within the broader ‘globalizing’ hegemony of the Roman Empire. The apparent latitude with which this seems to have been carried out also calls into question broadly accepted narratives regarding the Roman presence in Menorca.