Oliva Menozzi’s From Safin to Roman: Cultural Change and Hybridization in Central Adriatic Italy presents an in-depth and methodologically rigorous study of the cultural and social transformations in the central Adriatic region of Italy from the 6th century BC well into the Roman era. Menozzi adopts a multidisciplinary approach to hybridisation, viewing it as a dynamic and reciprocal process rather than a unilateral imposition of external influences. Through a meticulous examination of archaeological, literary, and epigraphic evidence, she challenges traditional narratives of Hellenisation and Romanisation, offering instead a complex picture of cultural interaction and adaptation across centuries.
The book is divided into five sections. In the first one—the introductory part—Menozzi begins with a critical reassessment of the geographical and historiographical definitions of the central Apennines (roughly corresponding to the modern Italian region of Abruzzo), examining the methodological restrictions in interpreting cultural transformation in the region. She highlights the theoretical limitations of conventional Hellenisation and Romanisation models, advocating instead for a framework centred on cultural hybridisation. The introduction further delineates the research aims and methodologies, emphasising an interdisciplinary approach that integrates material culture, settlement archaeology, and epigraphy. By engaging with a diverse range of evidence, from numismatic records to ceramic typologies, she sets a comprehensive foundation for the subsequent analysis. This section also provides a historiographical overview of past scholarship, criticising reductionist approaches and proposing a more fluid understanding of identity formation in ancient Italy.
Section B systematically reconstructs the historical geography of the region, and gives an overview also of its geological evolution. Chapter 1 evaluates ancient textual and cartographic sources, critically analysing their interpretative biases and the pro-Roman perspectives they often reflect. Special attention is given to the ways in which later Roman authors retrospectively framed the pre-Roman past to fit imperial narratives. Chapter 2 examines the region’s geomorphology, demonstrating how environmental factors shaped settlement distribution, economic activities, and infrastructure, particularly in relation to road networks, maritime ports, and ancient transhumance pathways called tratturi. Of particular interest are the Via Valeria and the Via Caecilia (the two most important Roman roads in the region), where there seems to be evidence of a superimposition of later tratturi over older Roman road networks (pp. 29, 77, 80). Menozzi also incorporates recent advances in paleoenvironmental studies, which provide insights into climate fluctuations and their impact on agricultural production and trade networks.
Section C gives details about the context of the region in question before the periods of greater Roman influence. In Chapter 3 there is a detailed examination of the ethnographic and socio-political landscape, investigating the linguistic traditions, political organisation, and external trade interactions of the Safin (or Sabellian) populations. She highlights the complex interplay between indigenous traditions and external influences from Etruscan, Greek, and Italic cultures. Chapter 4 delves into settlement structures, distinguishing between fortified hilltop sites, nucleated villages, and religious sanctuaries, emphasising their role in shaping regional identities. Archaeological surveys indicate varying degrees of connectivity between these settlements, suggesting a more heterogeneous pattern of social organisation than previously assumed. Chapter 5 explores funerary practices, analysing cemetery typologies, burial rites, and sculptural representations as reflections of shifting socio-cultural dynamics. This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of burial goods and grave markers, linking them to broader discussions on status differentiation and identity negotiation. Overall, in this section Menozzi collects evidence of seemingly radical changes happening within the communities of the central Italian eastern side between the 5th and 4th centuries BC: significant settlements like Marruvium, Corfinum and Interamnia start suddenly showing signs of “proto-urbanism”, where there seems to have been a sudden switch from circular huts to rectangular houses with stone foundations and brick walls (pp. 147-150). Also, a noticeable diminishing of grave goods in most burials from that period could suggest possible social mutations, with changes in the local political structures. The section therefore concludes with a synthesis of how these communities dealt with external influences while preserving local traditions, emphasising the importance of micro-regional studies in reconstructing ancient cultural landscapes.
In Section D, Menozzi presents evidence and case studies illustrating the cultural change occurring in the central Apennines during the traditional era of “Romanisation”. This section is essentially the core of the arguments that are presented in this volume. Chapter 6 contextualises the Roman expansion into the region, juxtaposing literary accounts with archaeological data to reconstruct the historical scope of Roman influence. Menozzi presents a critical discussion of the mechanisms through which Roman authority was established, distinguishing between direct conquest, negotiated incorporation, and instances of cultural resistance. Chapter 7 interrogates transformations in societal organisation and economic structures with particular attention to shifts in agrarian production, monetisation, and social stratification. Through the study of epigraphic sources and land-use patterns, she provides evidence for the gradual integration of local elites into Roman administrative frameworks. Menozzi shows evidence of a gradual shift from small case subsistence farming to Villa-based agriculture, which followed the Roman model of latifundia. Evidence from Umbria, Abruzzo and Molise indicates a pattern of farmsteads evolving into larger and more centralised agricultural estates. Regular agrarian distributions are well attested by both archaeological finds and medieval documents that hint at viritane distributions (distribution of plots of land to single individuals) happening extensively between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC (pp. 193-197, 202). Particularly interesting is the section on numismatics. The presence of coins from the Vestini and the Samnites shows an intricate local economic autonomy and trade network that expands further into the south (considering the presence of coins also from Magna Graecia), with Samnium seemingly playing a mediating role with more distant markets like Apulia (p. 209, 211-213). However, the local market was overwhelmingly shadowed by Rome’s trade network, as Roman Republican issues—by the late 3rd century BC—make up 92% of the total finds in the region (p. 215). Chapter 8 revisits settlement hierarchies in the Roman period, providing a comprehensive analysis of vici, pagi,[1] colonial foundations, and administrative centres such as municipia and praefecturae (i.e., cities and districts under the jurisdiction of Rome but with varying degrees of self-governance). This chapter sheds light on the regional variability in urbanisation processes, moving beyond simplistic dichotomies of rural versus urban life. It shows that oppida (fortified—usually non-Roman—settlements) were common but saw a gradual decline in the 2nd century BC, with villages evolving into structured vici that later became administrative centres for Rome. Some were abandoned, others were repurposed (p. 257). However, evidence suggests that villages in the territory of the Vestini were more conservative, retaining pre-Roman political structures even after Roman incorporation (p. 267). As the region was structured in a pagus–vicus system—the basis of later Roman administrative districts—the introduction of praefecturae in the 3rd century BC marked a shift toward Roman governance, with Rome appointing magistrates to directly oversee these districts (p. 255-257). Nevertheless, the municipalisation of towns followed different legal and political structures depending on local conditions. Praefecturae were not always absorbed into municipia, especially in areas of early Romanisation. The system of the octoviri (as opposed to the more common system of the quattuorviri—a college of 4 magistrates more typically present in Roman municipia) suggests hybrid administrative models, rather than the direct imposition of Roman institutions (p. 281). A great example of this is the municipalisation of major centres like Interamnia Praetuttiorum, which shows the flexibility of Romanisation (p. 255-257, 271). Then Chapter 9 investigates artistic and architectural developments, examining public and domestic architecture, votive terracottas, and sculptural production as media of cultural negotiation. The transition from Italic to Roman architectural models is documented in temples, sanctuaries and domestic structures, but forum complexes often integrated earlier Italic cult spaces (p. 291-303). Collectively, in this section the author argues that Romanisation was a deeply contingent and regionally variable process rather than a uniform imposition, and it highlights the role of intermediary agents—such as local artisans, traders, and religious figures—in shaping cultural encounters.
Finally, Menozzi synthesises her findings in Section E, reaffirming the primacy of hybridisation in explaining cultural transformation in the region. She stresses the need for continued interdisciplinary research, advocating for greater integration of up-to-date methods to refine our understanding of population mobility. The conclusion reflects on the broader implications of her study for Italic archaeology and comparative colonial studies, situating her work within global debates on cultural entanglement. The volume concludes with a set of appendices featuring contributions from specialists on geoarchaeology, settlement archaeology, and funerary analysis, which further enrich the dataset and interpretative framework. These appendices provide valuable case studies that extend the book’s arguments into specific local contexts, allowing for a more granular appreciation of regional diversity.
Menozzi’s monograph represents a substantial advancement in the study of cultural change in pre-Roman and Roman Italy. Her interdisciplinary methodology, combined with a critical engagement with material culture, challenges traditional models of cultural assimilation. Of particular significance is her discussion of settlement continuity, which goes against the narratives of abrupt Roman conquest and socio-political disruption (pp. 255–290, 347–356.). The author successfully bridges the gap between large-scale theoretical models and detailed archaeological case studies, demonstrating how local communities actively shaped their interactions with broader Mediterranean networks. Nevertheless, while Menozzi references key works in the field, a more explicit articulation of how material culture functions as a vector of identity negotiation would enhance the argument. Building on this foundation, future studies could further enrich the discussion by adopting an even wider comparative perspective, exploring similar processes of cultural transformation in other regions.
A distinguishing feature of Menozzi’s study is her rigorous interrogation of cultural transformation as a non-linear and multi-scalar process. She challenges the long-held assumption that Romanisation was a homogenising force, instead illustrating through material culture, epigraphy, and settlement archaeology how indigenous populations actively participated in shaping their socio-political landscapes.
Her engagement with material culture is particularly compelling. Through meticulous analysis of architectural modifications, ceramic assemblages, and funerary practices, Menozzi substantiates her argument that hybridisation was not a passive phenomenon but an adaptive strategy employed by local communities. Additionally, the incorporation of digital humanities tools, particularly GIS-based analysis, enormously enriches the book by providing empirical models that map the spatial distribution of cultural interactions over time.
Overall, the book is meticulously researched and Menozzi’s synthesis of archaeological, textual, and epigraphic evidence is thorough. The arguments are presented with academic rigor. The inclusion of high-quality maps, photographs, and illustrative figures greatly enhances the accessibility and clarity of the material, making it a valuable resource for both specialists and graduate students in Roman archaeology and ancient history. The structure is well-organised, with logical progression and thematic cohesion, making the volume an exemplary model of how to synthesise complex archaeological and historical data into a coherent analytical framework.
From Safin to Roman represents a crucial contribution to the on-going reassessment of Romanisation, aligning with the work of scholars such as Edward Bispham, Guy Bradley, Emma Dench, Elena Isayev, Elizabeth Robinson and Rafael Scopacasa in the context of pre-Roman Italy, as well as authors like David Mattingly or Greg Woolf for the broader Mediterranean perspective. By focusing on the central Adriatic—a region often overshadowed in studies prioritising Etruria and Campania—her research addresses a significant gap in the literature and underscores the necessity of regional specificity in models of cultural interaction. Furthermore, the book’s methodological integration of digital tools with traditional archaeological analyses is particularly noteworthy. Indeed, this volume is positioned at the forefront of scholarship advocating for new models of cultural negotiation, moving away from monolithic interpretations of Romanisation and toward a more dynamic understanding of regional diversity in antiquity.
Notes
[1] A vicus (pl. vici) was a village with no specific legal status, and a pagus (pl. pagi) was a rural area where usually vici were located.