Roman Presence Research Articles

When bodies fall apart

Anatomical votives have largely been considered by scholars in connection with Roman expansion in Central Italy. Within this ‘religious romanization’ frame, scholars have viewed the presence of the anatomical terracottas of the 4th–2nd cc. BC as the material manifestation of Roman presence in the religious sphere of the Italian peninsula. This paper presents the results from recent and ongoing archaeological studies on pre-Roman sanctuaries in Central and Northern Italian and focuses on the presence of bronze body parts among their votive offerings. The data allows for a reconsideration of the influence of Rome on local religious traditions and sheds light on the mechanism of continuity and change after the Roman expansion.

Scaramuccia nel teatro di strada. Una proposta di ‘attribuzionismo teatrale’

In the Museo di Roma at Palazzo Braschi there is a painting attributed to an anonymous Flemish painter of the 17th century depicting a theatre scene in Piazza Pasquino, whose iconography differs from the usual depiction of this subject spread by bamboozling painters in the 17th century.
 Instead of being crowded at the foot of a raised stage – as was typical in works depicting charlatans accompanied by the comedians of the Commedia dell’arte – the spectators are arranged in a circle around them. And, above all, the character in the centre of the scene has the physiognomy and costume typical of the actor Tiberio Fiorilli (1608-1694) as Scaramuccia. This identification is based on iconographic comparisons with printed works and two paintings by Pietro Paolini.
 Fiorilli’s presence in Rome and the social context in which he is documented are intertwined with the history of the urban space depicted in the painting, taking into account architectural, iconographic, and literary elements. On the basis of these elements, the work can be dated to between the 1630s and 1640s, a little-known period in Fiorilli’s life. Before conquering the stages frequented by the aristocracy and kings, the young actor may have begun to build his character in the street theatre made up of Commedia dell’Arte masks and charlatans with which the city was teeming.

The Roman Sports Cavalry Helmet from Islaz (Teleorman County, Romania)

The topic of this paper is a Roman cavalry sports helmet, or more specifically two halves of the same item, made out of copper alloy. It is part of a category of highly decorated military equipment, designed for parade or, more precisely, used in equestrian games/processions by cavalrymen of the Roman army. It was discovered in the area of the Islaz Roman fortifications, on the Olt River Roman frontier, the so-called limes Alutanus. The discovery in itself is spectacular. Both parts of the helmet were discovered almost in the same place, in two separate occasions, both accidental, by private citizens, in a time span of four months. The two fragments that form a whole helmet are well preserved and they present a strong point for the Roman presence at Islaz. The item in itself is a rare and beautiful find, this helmet in particular being the second of its kind (type) known to be found in the world. The helmet is from the Vechten Type, or pseudo-Phrygian type, named after its only analogy, the helmet from Vechten (Netherlands).

Geomagnetic and FDEM Methods in the Roman Archaeological Site of Bocca Delle Menate (Comacchio, Italy)

The increasing use of geophysical investigations for archaeological purposes is now provided also by Italian reforms about preventive archaeology. They allow not only the discovery or the spatial definition of possible buried archaeological evidence, but they are also able to define the state of preservation of ancient structures. The Bocca delle Menate archaeological site is in Comacchio village territory, situated in Ferrara provence (Emilia Romagna region, Italy). The archeological site provides important evidence of the Roman presence in the Po Delta (Italy). The Roman villa was excavated between 1958 and 1959, during the reclaiming works in the Mezzano Valley (Comacchio, Ferrara). An archaeological preliminary survey and a geophysical field trip using Geomagnetic and Frequency Domain Electromagnetic Methods were carried out, following the aim to identify the planimetry of the villa previously excavated and eventually newly discovered archaeological remains. The geomagnetic results detected the archaeological buried structures, even if the original disposition of them is not completely highlighted. The electromagnetic method was able to depict the geological and geomorphological background surrounding the Roman villa. The obtained results highlighted that the applied geophysical methods are excellent tools for the preservation, protection, and monitoring of archaeological heritage previously excavated, adding to their already known importance as best tools for new archaeological buried remains detections.

Animal Economy in Hellenistic Greece: A Zooarchaeological Study from Pherae (Thessaly)

ABSTRACT The scale of animal husbandry in ancient Greece has been debated for decades. To contribute to this debate, we examined faunal assemblages from Pherae in central Greece using non-destructive zooarchaeological methods. The results show that Pherae was involved in a caprine-oriented husbandry. The limited mobility of domesticated animals, indicated by mortality profiles, suggests that small-scale animal husbandry was the norm. Meat was redistributed across the town, and the quality of meat a household consumed depended on that household’s financial status. These results lead us to propose an economic model whereby both small-scale and semi-specialized animal husbandry were practiced, corroborating arguments for multiple co-existing animal husbandry practices in ancient Greece. Unlike in other parts of the Roman Empire, the predominance of caprines, indications of their use in meat and dairy production, and their relatively small “Hellenistic” size suggests that the Roman presence in Pherae did not influence animal economy.

ГИС в палеогеографических и исторических реконструкциях прибрежной зоны Северо-Западной Колхиды в античный и средневековый периоды

For northwestern Colchis, many questions about both the ancient Greek colonization and the later Roman presence remain controversial. To a large extent, this is due to the poor preservation of the archaeological sites of the coastal area, which is one of the most dynamically changing natural formations. Therefore, one of the main objectives of the study was to investigate the paleo-landscape and paleo-climate of the area. At present, there is a lack of research in this area. For this purpose, a special GIS of the north-western coast of Colchis was created, which allows the summary, combination and analysis of data and results from various studies (historical, archaeological, paleogeographical, etc.), cartographic material (including historical coastline maps) and UAV surveys. In order to analyze the coastline of the study area, a series of maps were digitized. This allowed the different timelines of the coastline in ancient and medieval times to be represented in a GIS and combined with a modern map of the depth of the sea near the coastline. It was found that in contrast to modern times, the Black Sea coastline in the study area was more indented in ancient and medieval times, necessitating more detailed study of individual areas selected based on GIS analysis of the spatial location of archaeological sites. They were described, and soil samples were taken for further analysis during the field season of 2022. The discovery of a previously unrecorded Holocene marine terrace system was one of the interesting results of the survey. The analysis of the location of archaeological sites in GIS has shown that Byzantine and Medieval sites were mainly recorded on the coast. Ancient sites are mostly found in areas with strong accumulation of rivers (Pitsunda, Sukhumi Cape), while they are often located relatively far from the coast. The GIS currently contains information on 1 780 archaeological sites and will be updated with paleogeographic data on selected Holocene terraces and soil samples.

Relieve de Cine en Relieve

This series of images forms part of the ongoing project Soft Ground, Hard Light, which speculates on a multiscalar spatial ontology of photography emanating from the Arditurri silver mine complex in the Basque Country. Evoking the mountainous massif around Arditurri where silver ore and galena have been extracted since Roman presence in the area, the depicted topographies are, in fact, data transcriptions from atomic force microscopy (AFM) probing the analogue film stock of an early 1930s experiment in 3D cinema, Cine en Relieve, by the Basque cinematographer Teófilo Mingueza. In contrast to optical or electron microscopy, AFM uses a scanning probe to physically touch the specimen, recording its surface undulations at the atomic scale of a nanometre, or a billionth of a metre. As a haptic operation based on direct contact between instrument and sample, between apparatus and referent, AFM is literally a contact print, a ‘blind’ scan that senses not the visual content of the recorded image but ‘feels’ its underlying material substrate of silver nanoparticles within the 35 mm film emulsion. The resulting image assemblies visualize a topography resulting from the intra-action between the silver nanoparticles and the scanning probe as much as its transcription through the particular parameters afforded by the AFM analysis software. Hard Light, Soft Ground was initiated during an artist’s residency at Tabakalera Centre for Contemporary Culture, Donostia-San Sebastián, and is currently in production as part of the wider research project Esper Syndrome: Archaeotopologies of the Image at the Royal College of Art, funded by the AHRC through the London Arts & Humanities Partnership. With additional thanks to the Basque Film Archive and Gustavo Ariel Schwartz at the Materials Physics Centre, Donostia-San Sebastián.

Preliminary geophysical investigation in the archaeological site of Bocca delle Menate (Comacchio, FE)

Abstract The Bocca delle Menate archaeological site is located in Comacchio town (FE) and provides important evidence of the Roman presence in the Po Delta (Italy). The excavations realized sixty years ago have confirmed the presence of an extensive Roman villa and some part of it was highlighted. With the aim to identify the villa plan and the old highlighted archaeological remains, an archaeological preliminary survey and a geomagnetic geophysical campaign were carried out in October 2020. Although geophysical methods are now considered the best tools for archaeological detections, our results show that they are also excellent tools for the preservation, protection and monitoring of the excavated archaeological heritage.

Domitianus “Germanicus”

Domitian, the last Flavian emperor, placed Germania at the center of his foreign policy. His first military campaign was against the Chatti, which comprised the most dangerous armed forces among German tribes. After neutralizing them, Domitian had extended the frontiers of the Roman Empire in Germania. He made administrative reforms for newly acquired territories, making Roman presence long-lasting. He also gradually expanded Rome’s rule in Germania during his rule. After successfully dealing with the Dacians and subduing them on the Danube frontier, he refocused his attention other German tribes the Marcomanni and the Quadi. While preparing a pincer movement against the Marcomanni and the Quadi and their Sarmatian allies by establishing diplomatic contacts with several tribes in the region and concentrating military forces, he was assassinated in Rome. Had he not been assassinated, the Roman Empire’s expansion into Central Europe could have been achieved. Yet, his successes in Germania rightly earned Domitian the cognomen Germanicus.

The Melite Civitas Romana Project: The Case for a Modern Exploration of the Roman Domus, Malta

Abstract The Roman Domus in Mdina, Malta, has become an idealised example of the Roman presence in the Maltese Islands; the partial remains of a lavishly decorated domus that would have in its time been situated within the walls of the urbanised Roman city of Melite. The site, last excavated more than 100 years ago, is also home to the only museum in the Maltese Islands, which is solely dedicated to house and showcase a collection of artefacts that date from the Roman period in Maltese history. This site alone provides a unique perspective on Roman Malta, being our only substantial remnant from the Roman Maltese capital, and needs a refocused and renewed exploration. For a long time, the archaeology of Roman sites in Malta has suffered a distinct lack of priority, and it has only been in the last two decades that considerably more focus has been placed on understanding the Roman period. Most of the archaeological focus, in this respect, has centred on agricultural villas, and though this study has illuminated a better understanding of the Roman period, very little has been undertaken in the last century in piecing together the importance of urban Melite to the broader nature of life in the islands, as well as their place in the larger context of the central Roman Mediterranean. The Melite Civitas Romana Project offers the potential of new understanding of the domus and the surrounding archaeological environment through a modern exploration of the site and the promise of the first available assemblage of Roman material from an urban Roman context.

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

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.

Flipping the Script on Colonial Narratives: Replicating Roman Reliefs from the Antonine Wall

Our understanding of the Roman presence in Scotland during the second century has traditionally been viewed through a Roman lens, influenced by the fragmentary, non-contemporaneous, and heavily biased accounts of Roman historiographers. Perceived wisdom has perpetuated this through embedded colonial language referring to indigenous occupants of the region and in the way that colonial objects are presented in museums. The welcome paradigm shift from Romanization to postcolonial discourses provides fertile ground for challenging Romanocentric narratives when (re)considering the materiality of Empire, particularly from frontier contexts. Replicas are an integral component of this narrative with power to express multiplicities of meanings and engage audiences in new and creative ways. These aspects are explored through newly carved sandstone replicas of Antonine Wall Distance Sculptures, including one inspired by the originals but presenting an alternative, provocative narrative from the perspective of Iron Age occupants of the region who came into conflict with Rome.

Three Roman Republican Seal-Rings Discovered in the Eastern Pyrenees and their Significance

The Roman presence in high mountainous areas has traditionally been considered marginal, but recent archaeological studies in several European regions have reshaped our understanding of the occupation and exploitation of these regions. Archaeological research conducted in the Cerdanya valley shows this to be the case in the eastern Pyrenees. The discovery and excavation of several indigenous settlements have allowed us to document an earlier and more intensive Roman presence there, attested by military activity and the exploitation of the area's resources. The site of Tossal de Baltarga (Lleida), where a group of Roman seal-rings was recovered, offers a window into this situation.

Plano-convex ingots and precious metalwork in northwestern Iberia during the Late Iron Age and early Roman period: an analytical approach

The archaeological study of ingots has gained in importance in recent years due to their links with metallurgical production, pre-monetary exchange and the emergence of weighing systems. However, in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula, which has one of the most outstanding protohistoric precious metalworking traditions in Western Europe, little attention has been paid to this method of accumulating raw material. This article provides the first systematic approach to the chemical composition of the precious metal ingots from this geographical area, based on the elemental analyses of 40 examples datable to the Late Iron Age and the early Roman presence. Two types of ingot composition have been identified: gold-silver-copper alloy and silver. In general, the former do not coincide with those documented in the jewellery from the hillforts (c. fourth–first centuries BC). This means that they could belong to the latest period of this metalworking tradition (c. first century BC–first century AD), when there was frequent use of cores of less valuable metals. In addition to their metallurgical function, silver ingots appear to have played an important role in the proto-monetary economy that characterised the early Roman presence. We propose that the different geographical distribution of these types of ingot was related to the diverse interactional dynamics generated between the local communities and the Romans during the long process of their conquest of this territory (138–19 BC).

Problem ubikacije putnih stanica Gabuleum i Theranda na rimskoj komunikaciji Lisus-Naisus (Gornja Mezija)

The paper presents data on the problem related to the location of Gabuleum and Theranda road stops on the Lisus-Naisus Roman road (Upper Moesia). The Lisus-Naisus Roman road intersected modern-day Kosova and Metohija stretching from the southwest to the northeast. The road, being the main road, connected the seaside to the inland. Not a considerable number of milestones, i.e. their fragments, was found on this part of the road. They are of significant historic value due to the fact that they represent genuine evidence of the existence of the Roman road in Kosovo and Metohija. During the research of ancient road stops and roads in the south of the province of Upper Moesia (Kosovo and Metohija), we used written sources and material remains on the terrain for which the data from Tabula Peutingeriana and Ptolemy's Geography were highly significant. The epigraph statues are equally important, i.e. milestones, road remains, settlements and other material remains.Their more detailed study and research can provide researchers with the opportunity to point to the main road routes, road stops and settlements in this area. The question of the location of Gabuleum road stop stays open due to the fact that the researchers have not reached a consensus till today on its location because, as previously mentioned, there have been many opinions. The prevalent opinion in the contemporary scientific circles, being based on Tabula Peutingeriana, is that Gabulem should be looked for near the place called Kukës in Albania where the White and Black Drim converge. By quoting Tabula Peutingeriana, the traces of the Roman presence as well as the unsafe road route to the North, the location of Therande is linked to the territory of Metohija, near the places such as Suva Reka or Ljubižda, in the valley of the Miruša river, not far from Prizren.

Identities in Roman Macedonia during the Early Imperial Period

This paper focuses on the impact of the Roman presence in Macedonia on the collective identities of the local population from the beginning of Roman rule in the region in 167 BC until the early 3rd century AD. The societal changes taking place during the first three and a half centuries have been outlined using the available epigraphic, numismatic and onomastic evidence to analyse the evolving identities of the Macedonians and the new forms of expression of these identities. The approach taken in this paper is not one of Hellenisation or Romanisation but of acculturation, focussing on the identities of the Macedonian people that adapted and evolved in relation to the new political and cultural environment.

Pomysły na „nowy porządek świata”: podróż Karola IV na koronację cesarską do Rzymu w świetle korespondencji Niccolò Acciaiuoliego i Petrarki

Koronacja cesarska Karola IV w 1355 r. była dotąd powszechnie uważana przez badaczy za wydarzenie mało istotne i bez większego wpływu na przyszłość. W rzeczywistości było jednak odwrotnie. Podróż koronacyjna Karola IV musi być rozpatrywana w szerszym kontekście walki o władzę we Włoszech między Świętym Cesarstwem Rzymskim a papiestwem. W artykule przeprowadzono analizę skomplikowanej sytuacji z perspektywy Karola oraz jego przeciwników i zwolenników we Włoszech. Ukazano, jak koronacja cesarska Karola IV doprowadziła do zasadniczej zmiany układu sił politycznych we Włoszech i w Europie, co skutkowało w konsekwencji wydaniem Złotej Bulli (1356) i Konstytucji egidiańskich (1357). Autorka po raz pierwszy odwołuje się w swoich rozważaniach do nieznanego wcześniej listu Niccola Acciaiuoliego, który kierował polityką Królestwa Neapolu. List ten rzuca nowe światło na taktykę opozycyjnego stronnictwa gwelfów i wpływu obecności Karola w Rzymie na jego polityczne cele. W artykule postarano się również udzielić odpowiedzi na od dawna przykuwające uwagę uczonych pytanie, dlaczego Karol nie zaakceptował prośby Petrarki, aby podjął we Włoszech działania na rzecz obrony tego, co określano mianem res publica, i dlaczego humanista nie przyjął zaproszenia, aby towarzyszyć Karolowi w jego podróży do Rzymu.

A Family of Uncertain Origin: The gens Valgia

This paper proposes to determine and identify the origin of the gens Valgia from Arpinum (Latium adiectum). It is possible that the Valgii, by taking advantage of the political success of Gaius Marius, like other Arpinum families, already succeeded in obtaining the senatorial rank towards the end of the 2nd and the beginning of the 1st century BC. Later, thanks to Sulla’s and Caesar’s reforms, who sought allies among the powerful local gentes, the Valgii could consolidate their presence in Rome, until reaching the consulate in 12 BC.

Orígenes y desarrollo de la fiesta litúrgica de la Virgen María en Iberia

Se da por cierta una gran devoción mariana en la Iberia visigoda, especialmente por el establecimiento, en esa época, de una nueva celebración litúrgica en honor a la Virgen María. Sin embargo, el siglo VII conoció un progresivo desarrollo de liturgias marianas en diversas partes del Mediterráneo y de Europa occidental. En Roma se fundaron cuatro fi estas marianas a mediados del siglo VII, posiblemente con motivo del concilió de Letrán del año 649, en el que se declaró oficial la creencia en la perpetua virginidad de María. La presencia en Roma, alrededor de estas fechas, del obispo de Zaragoza, Tajón, hace suponer que el establecimiento de esta festividad mariana en Iberia pudo venir de fuera, tal como sugiere la legislación en torno a ella. Este estudio investiga los comienzos de esta conmemoración mariana con el fin de contextualizar el caso ibérico en el panorama devocional y teológico del momento.

Philippians

Mark Keown’s two-volume commentary on Philippians is a carefully researched and comprehensive analysis of this Pauline letter. Keown has provided a close reading of the text, while also engaging the historical possibilities that the text suggests. He brings into this analysis ancient sources to support his historical reconstructions as well as ancient and contemporary interpreters of Philippians to illuminate text and context. Keown demonstrates thorough knowledge of the range of perspectives on key questions but is not overly derivative. While holding traditional views on a number of issues, including the integrity of the letter, its Roman provenance, and the divine identity of Christ in the hymn of ch. 2, Keown also proposes new possibilities for text and setting in his more than 1,100 pages of commentary.Two significant examples relate to (1) Paul’s ambiguous references to choosing life or death (1:20–25) and (2) locating the central occasion of the letter in the conflict between Euodia and Syntyche (4:2–3). Keown argues for the possibility that Paul’s deliberations in 1:20–25 arise because he is considering escape from his Roman imprisonment to return to the churches he has founded (p. 1:12). For Keown, this resolves various textual difficulties, including the agency Paul affirms over his life-threatening situation (1:22), his absolute confidence that he will leave prison alive (1:25; cf. 2:24), the presence in Rome of supporters to assist him (1:14–18), and his reference to keeping his decision a secret (with ginōskō as “I do not make known”; 1:22).Another distinctive is Keown’s understanding that the conflict between Euodia and Syntyche explains more of the letter’s paraenesis than 4:2–3 and 2:2–4. For Keown, they are “the two people at the heart of the Philippian problem” (p. 2:305). He understands their conflict potentially to account for or at least influence 1:14–18a (“false motivations in mission”); 2:14 (“quarreling and grumbling”); 2:1–11, 19–30 (Christ, Timothy, and Epaphroditus as exemplars), and the theme of joy (possibly “a degree of sorrow in the community over this issue”) (pp. 2:314–15). While I suggest that some of these connections border on mirror reading, Keown’s ability to reconstruct the possibilities of the historical setting impressed me. In general, he demonstrates a keen ability to imagine the potential realities that occasioned the letter. And, in his commentary on 4:1–9, I valued Keown’s careful case for the prominence of female leadership in the Philippian church (e.g., pp. 2:311–313).The commentary proceeds across eight major sections of Philippians (1:1–11, 12–26; 1:27–2:18; 2:19–30; 3:1–21; 4:1–9, 10–20, 21–23), with the following areas addressed in each section: “Introduction” (extended summary, including literary contextual observations), translation, textual notes, commentary (extensive verse-by-verse analysis), conclusion (short passage summation), biblical theology comments (canonical reflections, with some extensions to the contemporary church), application and devotional implications (thematic application to the church today), and selected bibliography.Keown consistently addresses the Philippian tendency to mimic the Roman penchant for power and status. The gospel as expressed in Philippians exposes false ideas of power, encouraging instead the honoring of others over self. This attention to social issues includes a sensitivity to the social nature of mission: “social justice is embedded in authentic mission” (p. 2:67). This emphasis was especially refreshing in a commentary from an expressly evangelical perspective. I was also impressed with the moments when the author indicated that he had changed his mind on an issue that he had previously argued in print. This kind of scholarly humility befits a letter that highlights humility as a crucial Christian virtue (2:3–4).Being appreciative of Keown’s work in large measure, I register a minor critique. He routinely provides extensive lexical analyses (a page or more), with the commentary reading at these points something like a lexicon. While these lexical discussions include much helpful content, the frequent reference in these to etymology could imply, inappropriately, that etymology is typically relevant to the current meaning of a word (e.g., pp. 2:39, 131: ekklēsia does not mean those who are “called out”). And while not a critique limited to this particular commentary, I wish for a moratorium on “literal” used in relation to word meanings (e.g., pp. 1:63; 2:134, 161), with its implication that a word has a basic (English) meaning from which other meanings or translations arise.In summary, I am grateful for the contribution that Keown has made to Philippians scholarship, not only from an evangelical perspective but from a scholar who has clearly devoted himself to this important NT letter. His commentary is impressive, and this interpretive offering to the academy and the church promises to be significant.