Social Memory and Identity in the Central Apennines under Augustus

Abstract

This essay addresses the topic of the oblivion of Samnite identity that transpired around the end of the first century BCE and beginning of the first century CE. By placing the discussion of the end of the Samnites within a context of memory and monuments, it can be shown that the dissolution of the Samnites as a nation was effected by different processes of forgetting, one active (in which new monumental landscapes were imposed over older ones) and one passive (in which older monuments were left to neglect). These processes are all the more striking because they occurred in the context of the Augustan period, when it is generally held that places and individuals of traditional or historical importance saw renewed attention. The oblivion of a living Samnite identity was necessary not only for the creation of a new Italian identity supported by the ideals of pax and concordia, but also for the successful incorporation into the imperial system of Samnite elites, who were ultimately responsible for the oblivion of their past.