Romans overseas : Roman and Italian migrant communities in the Mediterranean world
Abstract
In this thesis, I characterise the Roman republican diaspora in the western
Mediterranean, on the basis of the various activities which prompted the migration of
individuals from Italy. The intention of my discussion is to examine the connection
between republican imperialism and the generally obscure individuals who were the
actual participants in empire. This is partly a response to Brunt’s Italian Manpower, in
so far as Brunt’s minimalist calculation of the population of the diaspora discouraged
subsequent research on the subject. To accomplish this, I have relied principally on the
available literary references as the foundation of a thematic analysis of the diaspora,
considering migration of those in the military or associated with it, as well as those
involved in various categories of commercial activity. The settlement of former soldiers
was frequently connected with the re-organisation of overseas communities by Roman
generals. Commercial activity was examined with reference to a general model for trade
in the late republic, which emphasises the role of agents acting on behalf of wealthier
individuals in Italy. I also considered more general characteristics of the diaspora.
Firstly, I have proposed a maximum population for the diaspora at the end of the
republic of 170,000. Secondly, I have proposed that communities of the diaspora were
organising themselves into conventus by the 70s BC. Finally, I have suggested that the
social and economic networks of the diaspora can be modelled in terms of a network of
bilateral connections between communities, though with particularly strong connections
to Rome.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
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