[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review]
The Blackwell Companions and their exploration of diverse aspects and topics related to the ancient world will be familiar to many. The entry under discussion, edited by Barbara Burrell and organized into two sections across two volumes, represents an attempt to unify the multifaceted aspects and various provinces of the Roman Empire, as the richness of the contributions show.[1] The work encompasses regional factors from an emic point of view (cf. Burrell, “Introduction,”) adopting an “internal lens” on topics as seen from the ancient perspective (cf. pp. 9-10). This perspective has been typically employed in encyclopedic works, such as the Barrington Atlas, as observed by Greg Woolf in one of the chapters of the present publication.[2]
The result here is an engaging and comprehensive account that traverses diverse domains, encompassing a vast array of aspects of the Roman Empire. The overall assessment of this publication is favorable, particularly given its potential to engage specialists, including archaeologists and historians, with an interest in both what is usually considered as Classical and Roman provincial archaeology.
The volumes are divided into two parts. The first addresses interregional factors, with a broad coverage of topics such as the sea and roadways, coinage, and technology. The second part addresses regional factors through focus on individual places and provinces, beginning with cases related to Rome and Italy.
It is regrettable that, due to limitations in available space, it is not feasible to provide a comprehensive account of each contribution to the work. I will therefore limit the discussion only to a few of these noteworthy contributions.
In Chapter 3, “Roads and Waterways,” R. Bruce Hitchner emphasizes the significance of these transportation networks and their supporting infrastructure. He begins by examining the surviving ancient sources that illuminate the “vascular system that sustained the life of the empire” (p. 37). He then presents a general overview of this intricate system, highlighting its strengths and the evidence of its advanced composition, which included both land and water routes. The significance of riverine routes as inland communication and commercial avenues is similarly underscored (see p. 40). It is important to note, however, that in certain instances rivers also served as frontiers (e.g., the “liquid Limes”). Moreover, they were instrumental in facilitating connectivity between disparate regions, particularly at the point where they intersected with roadways. The result of this “vascular system,” as Hitchner notes, was a formidable means of traversing vast distances “as never before in antiquity.” This led to the formation of transport companies, such as the splendidissimum corpus mercatorum Cisalpinorum et Transalpinorum, which flourished during the reign of Augustus (p. 41). Such routes were instrumental in the formation and expansion of the Roman Empire, influencing its economic, cultural, social, and political structures. They facilitated the production, consumption, and distribution of goods and ideas, playing a pivotal role in the development of the Roman world. Furthermore, roads were also important in the development of cults, functioning as both a conduit for their proliferation and as sites of veneration.
Chapter 3 serves to connect several topical chapters: “Coinage” (Burrell), “Pottery and Foodways” (Nicholas Hudson), and the chapters on “The Military” (by Alexandra Busch)[3] and “Technology” (by Lynne Lancaster). These articles, due to their intrinsic nature, are supra-regional in scope and address aspects related to different provinces.
The second section deals with local and regional perspectives, examining the specifics of each province (from p. 187 onwards).
Stephen Dyson begins by reflecting on the relationship between population and the evolution of the city of Rome. Initially, he focuses on the development of specific parts of the city (the Roman Forum, Campus Martius, Gardens and the Palatine, the Imperial Fora), then shifts to a discussion of strategies employed by the emperors to maintain control over the city’s population. He discusses the strategies employed by the emperors to “distract the citizens from any significant civic involvement” (p. 197), as well as the importance of the supply system for the city and its inhabitants.
From Rome, the perspective shifts to an “Italic” focus, encompassing the Italian peninsula from central Italy to the north and south. This approach examines the phenomenon of “Romanization” and resistance[4] to it (“Italia” by Annalisa Marzano).
The subsequent chapter (Roger Wilson[5]) delves into the specifics of Sicily. Wilson briefly summarizes the main chronological points of the history of the island, and offers reflections on the impact of the Romans on Sicily, with a particular focus on the last two centuries BC. As underscored, a pivotal turning point was constituted by the “injection” of Roman veterans into the colonies established by Augustus at Syracuse, Catania, Taormina, Tindari, and Termini Imerese between 36 (Taormina) and 21 BC, and later Palermo (after 21 BC). It was precisely these re-foundations in Augustan times that enabled the cities to retain their status as the most significant urban centers on the island throughout Late Antiquity. The author then proceeds to inquire about the status of each community in Sicily. Wilson also analyzes the urbanization in the major harbor cities and in the minor settlements of the island. Thereafter, the discussion turns to the economic and cultural aspects of Sicily, including the language and material culture. In the context of material culture, particular attention is devoted to the examination of bronze workshops and the discovery of bronze statuary on the island during the Roman era.[6] This includes the renowned recumbent ram from Syracuse (p. 250).
Of particular interest for their character of “summaries” and at the same time for the several new information provided are also the chapters devoted to the provinces of Raetia (Günther Moosbauer), Dacia (Alexandru Diaconescu), and Achaea (Dimitris Grigoropoulos), and in volume two, Germania (David Wigg-Wolf), and Britannia (Pete Wilson).
Grigoropoulos emphasizes that the province of Achaea was a culturally distinctive yet marginalized province. This perception is shaped by the historical significance and subsequent transformation of the region, reflecting a predominantly Hellenocentric perspective (p. 373). However, recent data challenge the narrative of a decline during Roman times. The discussion commences with an investigation into the boundaries of Achaea and a delineation of its landscape/topography and settlement organization, in addition to an analysis of the relationship between each polis and Rome. The discussion of domestic architecture, a topic often overlooked in favor of subjects such as public sanctuaries provides valuable insights into Roman Greece in relation to urban and rural development (for instance, p. 378 ff.). This section illustrates that, in recent decades, there has been a shift in emphasis in research on a traditionally more overlooked topic such as domestic architecture and life, in both urban and rural settings, from the 1st c. BC onwards in Greece (especially Attica and Arcadia), which has resulted in an improved understanding of this significant aspect of antiquity.[7]
The final chapter addressed by this analysis is a comprehensive examination of two provinces: Germania Superior and Germania Inferior. It begins with a description of their geographical locations, bordering the left bank of the river Rhine, and then proceeds to analyze their history, from the first contacts until the Roman conquest. Of interest is the information related to the fortress of Waldgirmes, which was established during the Augustan era beyond the Rhine. In the case of Waldgirmes, the famous horsehead belonging to a bronze imperial equestrian statue that was discovered there is mentioned as a proof of the cultural assimilation of the area.[8]
Despite the broad scope of the book, which encompasses the entirety of the Roman Empire, beginning with its “heartland,” the two volumes edited by Burrell exhibit a notable degree of unity. This unity can be attributed to the primary objective of providing contemporary information on Roman archaeology. The texts appear to adhere to precise guidelines, as evidenced by the consistent analysis of the development of urbanization across the various provinces, extending from Thrace to Spain, and from Greece to Germany. The approach under scrutiny here is characterized by its dualistic nature, encompassing both macro- and micro-level perspectives. A notable strength of these volumes is their inclusion of Rome and Italy, a decision that challenges the conventional framework of classical archaeology and provincial Roman archaeology. This integration serves to demonstrate that a unified approach can foster a more harmonious development of knowledge.
Authors and Titles
Volume 1
Part I Inter-Regional Factors
- Introduction: The Material Roman Empire, Barbara Burrell
- The Sea, Deborah N. Carlson
- Roads and Waterways, Bruce Hitchner
- Coinage, Barbara Burrell
- Pottery and Foodways, Nicholas F. Hudson
- The Military, Alexandra W. Busch
- Technology, Lynne C. Lancaster
- Summation, Greg Woolf
Part II Regional Factors 187
- The City of Rome, Stephen Dyson
- Italy, Annalisa Marzano
- Sicilia, Roger J.A. Wilson
- Raetia, Günther Moosbauer
- Dacia, Alexandru Diaconescu
- Dalmatia, Dino Demicheli
- Macedonia, Vassilis Evangelidis
- Epirus, David R. Hernandez
- Achaea, Dimitris Grigoropoulos
- Crete and the Cyclades, Rebecca J. Sweetman
- Thrace, Ivo Topalilov
- Bithynia and Pontus, Owen Doonan
- Asia, Brian Rose
Volume 2
- Galatia and Pisidia, Karl Strobel
- Cappadocia, Guido Rosada, Maria Teresa Lachin, and Jacopo Turchetto
- Lycia, Oliver Hülden
- Pamphylia, Matthias C. Pichler
- Cilicia, Dominique Krüger and Richard Posamentir
- Syria, Andreas Kropp
- Cyprus, Jody M. Gordon
- Judaea, Barbara Burrell
- Arabia, Sarah Wenner
- Egypt, Willeke Wendrich
- Cyrenaica, Susan Kane
- Africa/Numidia/Mauretania, David J. Mattingly
- Lusitania, Daniel Osland
- Hispania Citerior and Hispania Baetica, Isabel Roda and Oliva Rodríguez Gutiérrez
- Gallia Aquitania and Gallia Lugdunensis, Jane DeRose Evans
- Gallia Narbonensis, Ralph Haeussler
- Germania, David Wigg-Wolf
- Britannia, Pete Wilson
Notes
[1] A laudable effort, already pursued by another book of the same series, edited by B. E. Borg, A Companion to Roman Art, Hoboken 2015.
[2] R. J. A. Talbert (ed.), Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World (Princeton 2000), as mentioned in G. Woolf, “Summation,” in B. Burrell, A Companion to the Archaeology of the Roman Empire (Hoboken 2024), 177-185, part. p. 178.
[3] For further clarification, see the table, maps, and bibliography on each province that can be found at the end of this chapter on p. 116-155: these materials were compiled by the author and various scholars.
[4] On the topic, see P. Noelke (ed.), Romanisation und Resistenz: in Plastik, Architektur und Inschriften der Provinzen des Imperium Romanum; neue Funde und Forschungen. Akten des VII. Internationalen Colloquiums über Probleme des provinzialrömischen Kunstschaffens, Köln 2. bis 6. Mai 2001 (Mainz 2003).
[5] Cf. the contribution in B. E. Borg, A Companion to Roman Art (Hoboken 2015), with a Chapter on “The Western Roman Provinces,” p. 496 ff.
[6] A recent publication on the topic is that by S. Pafumi, Disiecta membra. Frammenti di statuaria bronzea di età romana del Museo Civico di Catania (Roma – Bristol 2020).
[7] Cf., for instance, Roman domestic buildings (Exeter 1996); P. M. Allison, “Engendering Roman domestic space”, in Building communities: House, Settlement and society in the Aegean and Beyond. Proceedings of a Conference held at Cardiff University, 17-21 April 2001 (London 2007), 343-350; A. Wallace-Hadrill, “Building Roman identity: Rome’s cultural revolution in domestic space = Construyendo la identidad romana: La revolución cultural de Roma en el espacio doméstico”, in Á. Corrales Álvarez (ed.), The Language of the Urban Domestic Architecture as an Expression of Identity in the Roman World (Mérida 2022), 29-35.
[8] With bibliography loc. cit. For the latest research on the topic of bronze production in the Roman northwestern provinces, cf., http://grossbronzenamlimes.de/; among others, A. Piccioni, Römische Großbronzen am Limes. Fragmente im raetischen Raum (Oxford 2023); S. Becht, Aere Clusa. Bronzene Rahmen, Profile und Zierleisten im römischen Italien und den nordwestlichen Provinzen (Oxford 2024).