- Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome, Ancient Studies, Faculty MemberUniversiteit Leiden, Faculty of Archaeology, Faculty Memberadd
- Roman imperialism, Roman colonisation, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Roman Religion, Archaeology of Roman Religion, Archaeological Theory, and 32 moreAncient History, Roman Urbanism, Landscape Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Roman Epigraphy, Roman Republic, Ancient Urban Planning, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Religious architecture, Classics, Roman History, Roman Historiography, Roman Temples, Ancient Italy, Pagus Vicus System, Roman Villages, History of Archaeology, Archaeology, Samnites, Roman Archaeology, Iron Age Hillforts, Hillforts and oppida, Fortified Settlements (Archaeology), Hellenistic and Roman Fortifications, Archeologia italico-romana, Acculturation and 'Romanisation', Hellenistic Pottery - black glaze, Ceramica a Vernice Nera, Votive offerings, Hellenistic History, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, and Roman Lusitaniaedit
- Tesse D. Stek Vice-Director of the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR) Director of Ancient Studies at the Roya... moreTesse D. Stek
Vice-Director of the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR)
Director of Ancient Studies at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR)
Associate Professor Mediterranean Archaeology at the Faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University (currently seconded to KNIR, Rome)
Profile
My research and teaching engages with the formation of Roman imperialism and its interactions with pre-existing polities and people. My approach combines ancient history and epigraphy with new archaeological field work in the Western and Central Mediterranean.
Roman imperialism, religion and colonization
My PhD (Amsterdam) focused on Roman expansion and cult sites and religion in ancient Italy. I then researched the historical aspects of Roman colonization as a Golding Junior Research Fellowship at Brasenose College, Oxford. To test these ideas in the field, in 2011 I started new field work in the territory of the Roman colony Aesernia, with a Marie Curie at Glasgow. With the support of a large NWO grant, I expanded the colonization project with an enthusiastic international team of postdocs, PhD students, postdocs and students. This Landscapes of Early Roman Colonization project (2013-) connects the rethinking of the modern historiography and theory of early Roman expansion with new field work in two early colonies founded by Rome.
As of 2018/19, I am seconded to the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR) as Director of Ancient Studies. In that capacity, I support and represent (PhD) students and colleagues in the fields of classics, ancient history and archaeology. At the Dutch school, I am also Head of Research and, as of 2020, also Vice-Director of the Institute. In that role, I enjoy fostering debate within and across disciplinary boundaries - a key privilege of the Roman station within the Italian and international network that Rome offers.
I currently co-direct two major international collaborations and field work projects, in Italy and Portugal.
The Tappino Area Archaeology Project, in the Apennines, involves field survey, aerial archaeology, geophysics and excavation. Our base camp in Jelsi functions as a hub and base camp for research, teaching and knowledge dissemination.
As of 2018, I coordinate, together with Dr. André Carneiro from Évora University, a new field work project in Alto Alentejo, Portugal. Recently, an important next step has been taken in this direction thanks to a generous grant which enables the consolidation of the Roman Portugal research.
The project aims at better understanding large-scale trends in the expanding Roman empire from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD across the Western Mediterranean, and linking it theoretically to provincial Roman archaeologies in northwestern Europe. The activation of previous, large archaeological datasets and unlocking their potential on new digital platforms plays a key role in this project (cf. also the online Fasti project, and the related A rated journal Fasti Survey, of which I am editor in chief).
Students and colleagues can contact me at t.d.stek@knir.it for the Field Schools or research projects.edit
The Archaeology of Imperial Landscapes examines the transformation of rural landscapes and societies that formed the backbone of ancient empires in the Near East and Mediterranean. Through a comparative approach to archaeological data, it... more
The Archaeology of Imperial Landscapes examines the transformation of rural landscapes and societies that formed the backbone of ancient empires in the Near East and Mediterranean. Through a comparative approach to archaeological data, it analyses the patterns of transformation in widely differing imperial contexts in the ancient world. Bringing together a range of studies by an international team of scholars, the volume shows that empires were dynamic, diverse, and experimental polities, and that their success or failure was determined by a combination of forceful interventions, as well as the new possibilities for those dominated by empires to collaborate and profit from doing so. By highlighting the processes that occur in rural and peripheral landscapes, the volume demonstrates that the archaeology of these non-urban and literally eccentric spheres can provide an important contribution to our understanding of ancient empires. The 'bottom up' approach to the study of ancient empires is crucial to understanding how these remarkable socio-political organisms could exist and persist.
20% off with attached Flyer.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/archaeology-of-imperial-landscapes/C9DFAB1F15C59955663CF05110B788EC
20% off with attached Flyer.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/archaeology-of-imperial-landscapes/C9DFAB1F15C59955663CF05110B788EC
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20% discount on volume at CUP.
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Rome rapidly expanded in the Republican period, and conquered the entire Italian peninsula with its wide variety of city-states and tribes. The impact of Roman imperialism and expansionism on religious life in the newly incorporated areas... more
Rome rapidly expanded in the Republican period, and conquered the entire Italian peninsula with its wide variety of city-states and tribes. The impact of Roman imperialism and expansionism on religious life in the newly incorporated areas has often been regarded as minimal, following the axiom of Roman ‘religious tolerance’. However, literary and epigraphic evidence points at the political and ideological importance of cult sites especially in conflict situations.
Moreover, during the period of conquest and political incorporation, incisive changes in religious practices as well as in the cult sites where these were performed, are documented all over the peninsula. The causality between Roman expansionism and these trends is much discussed, and the ‘religious Romanization’ of Italy is currently a key debate.
This volume explores the development of religious practices and cult places in the conquered Italic areas, and the role of Rome and its colonies in it. Rather than denying Roman impact and intentionality altogether, it assesses the potential influences of Roman expansionism on the sacred landscapes of ancient Italy in wide and variegated terms.
The studies brought together in this volume draw on different types of evidence and approaches, reflecting also the diversity of different national and disciplinary traditions and schools of thought that often have remained isolated in current debates. It presents important new evidence from the inland Italic areas, as well as synthetic discussions addressing key scholarly controversies, such as the agency of Roman magistrates and the role of Roman colonization in ritual change and votive practices. By focusing on the dynamic interaction between authorities, local communities and wider trends in Hellenistic societies, the volume opens new perspectives on religious change in Italy and its relationship to the rise of Rome.
BICS SUPPLEMENT 132 ISBN 978-1-905670-58-1 viii + 332 pp, colour and black and white images, index
http://store.london.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=1&deptid=158&catid=86&prodid=1219&searchresults=1
Moreover, during the period of conquest and political incorporation, incisive changes in religious practices as well as in the cult sites where these were performed, are documented all over the peninsula. The causality between Roman expansionism and these trends is much discussed, and the ‘religious Romanization’ of Italy is currently a key debate.
This volume explores the development of religious practices and cult places in the conquered Italic areas, and the role of Rome and its colonies in it. Rather than denying Roman impact and intentionality altogether, it assesses the potential influences of Roman expansionism on the sacred landscapes of ancient Italy in wide and variegated terms.
The studies brought together in this volume draw on different types of evidence and approaches, reflecting also the diversity of different national and disciplinary traditions and schools of thought that often have remained isolated in current debates. It presents important new evidence from the inland Italic areas, as well as synthetic discussions addressing key scholarly controversies, such as the agency of Roman magistrates and the role of Roman colonization in ritual change and votive practices. By focusing on the dynamic interaction between authorities, local communities and wider trends in Hellenistic societies, the volume opens new perspectives on religious change in Italy and its relationship to the rise of Rome.
BICS SUPPLEMENT 132 ISBN 978-1-905670-58-1 viii + 332 pp, colour and black and white images, index
http://store.london.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=1&deptid=158&catid=86&prodid=1219&searchresults=1
Research Interests: History, Ancient History, Classics, Postcolonial Studies, Roman Religion, and 24 moreLatin Epigraphy, Etruscan Archaeology, Acculturation and 'Romanisation', Roman Temples, Romanization, Votive practice, Roman imperialism, Archaeological field survey, Campanian Archaeology, Roman colonisation, Classics: Ancient History and Archaeology, Samnites, Italic Archaeology, Etruscology, Greek and Roman Archaeology, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Roman Campania, Lucania antica, Molise, Ex-Voto, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, Fregellae, Samnium, Roman Archaeology, Early Roman Expansion, and "religious Romanization"
Roman colonization has been seen as a primary model for colonization and colonialism in more recent historical periods. The most comprehensive study on Roman colonization remains Edward Togo Salmon’s Roman Colonization under the Republic... more
Roman colonization has been seen as a primary model for colonization and colonialism in more recent historical periods. The most comprehensive study on Roman colonization remains Edward Togo Salmon’s Roman Colonization under the Republic (1969). In the almost 50 years since the publication of Salmon’s seminal book many crucial revisions have been proposed for different aspects of the traditional view of Roman colonization. Despite the obvious importance of these new studies, their impact on our general understanding of Roman colonization and their deeper significance for understanding Roman imperialism has yet to be fully appreciated. The increasing fragmentation of the research field is an important reason that an overarching, radically new, understanding of Roman republican colonization has not, as yet, been brought forward. Issues that are central to the character of Roman colonization are studied in separate disciplines including Roman historiography, urban archaeology, architecture studies, landscape archaeology, Roman religion studies and Roman law. This volume brings together recent insights from a range of different academic traditions, lifting language and cultural barriers. By presenting both new theoretical insights and new archaeological discoveries, it explores the potentially productive interplay between different emerging research areas that are currently isolated.
Research Interests: History, Ancient History, Classics, Roman History, Roman Historiography, and 26 moreLandscape Archaeology, Postcolonial Studies, Roman Religion, Colonialism, Roman Republic, Latin Epigraphy, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Roman Epigraphy, Roman roads, Roman North Africa (Archaeology), Roman Temples, Archaeology of Roman Religion, Colonization, Late Roman Republic, Roman imperialism, Archaeological field survey, Greek and Roman Epigraphy, Roman Urbanism, Roman colonisation, Classics: Ancient History and Archaeology, Roman Architecture and Urbanism, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, Capitoline Temple, Etruria and Ancient Italy, Roman Archaeology, and Ancient City-States
This study throws a new light on the Roman impact on religious structures in Republican Italy. In the last four centuries BC, Italy went through immense changes. The Apennine and Adriatic areas were originally inhabited by various... more
This study throws a new light on the Roman impact on religious structures in Republican Italy. In the last four centuries BC, Italy went through immense changes. The Apennine and Adriatic areas were originally inhabited by various ‘Italic’ tribes and characterised by a specific non-urban societal organisation, in which cult places had a pivotal function. From the fourth century BC onwards the area was gradually incorporated by Rome, profoundly altering its geopolitical make-up. The author not only investigates the changing social and political function of cult places in non-Roman Italic society, he also highlights the importance of cult places and religious rituals for new Roman communities in the conquered areas. This research thus opens new perspectives on the issue of the ‘religious romanisation’ of Italy by arguing for a strong Roman impact also in non-urbanised areas. Tesse Stek bases his study on the analysis of archaeological, literary and epigraphic evidence from rural cult places in Central and Southern Italy, including field work on the Samnite temple of S. Giovanni in Galdo.
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Introduction of a new research and training project on the archaeology of Roman Portugal, a collaboration of Leiden and Évora universities, funded by the Prins Bernhard Culture foundation.
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The Tappino Area Archaeological Project combines remote sensing, intensive survey methods and excavation to illuminate the development and working of ancient society in the Apennine Mountains, Southern Italy.
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Epilogue, highlighting the compatibility of great diversity in imperial locales and imperial agency.
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Introduction to the comparative volume
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A review of the rationale behind early Roman expansion and colonization. It shows how our modern view of Roman colonialism has been constructed, and that colonies and their impact on local landscapes and societies have been interpreted in... more
A review of the rationale behind early Roman expansion and colonization. It shows how our modern view of Roman colonialism has been constructed, and that colonies and their impact on local landscapes and societies have been interpreted in a very narrow and prescriptive way. Other, less expected social and economic rationales are explored and illustrated with the case of Alba Fucens (established in 303 BC).
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Roman colonization and expansionism in the Republican period, and its impact on ancient Italy, are intensely debated in current ancient historical and archaeological research. Traditional, diffusionist views from the late 19th and... more
Roman colonization and expansionism in the Republican period, and its impact on ancient Italy, are intensely debated in current ancient historical and archaeological research. Traditional, diffusionist views from the late 19th and especially the 20th century have recently been heavily criticized, and many socio-economic and cultural developments in ancient Italy (e.g. ‘romanization’) have been disconnected from Roman conquest and expansionism. Although this development has been extremely important and salutary, in this paper it is argued that we should be careful not to throw away the baby with the bathwater. Very recent and ongoing research can be seen as pointing at real Roman impact in various spheres - if in different ways and places than traditionally assumed. Inverting the causal logic between new developments in ancient Italy and Roman colonization, it is argued that Roman expansionism actively targeted hotspots in socio-economic and cultural networks of special interest in ancient Italy. The privileged status of colonial communities then energized and redrew existing constellations, thus using, but also impacting on pre-existing configurations. Such a view stimulates us to rethink the primary incentives behind Roman colonization, and to investigate more intricate patterns of Roman agency.
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As known, Roman territorial expansion has often been equated with drastic change in the towns and landscapes that were colonised. Urbanism (towns) and agricultural production in well ordered hinterlands (farms, centuriation) are key in... more
As known, Roman territorial expansion has often been equated with drastic change in the towns and landscapes that were colonised. Urbanism (towns) and agricultural production in well ordered hinterlands (farms, centuriation) are key in this model.
This paper argues that new archaeological evidence from two colonies in Central and South Italy shows instead divergent patterns, and proposes that these patterns reflect a different logic behind early colonial settlement than the one expected accepting the agricultural city-state model.
Large rural sites as villages and hilltop sites play important roles in such divergent settlement strategies, and the paper presents some archaeological methods to integrate such sites better in field survey projects.
This paper argues that new archaeological evidence from two colonies in Central and South Italy shows instead divergent patterns, and proposes that these patterns reflect a different logic behind early colonial settlement than the one expected accepting the agricultural city-state model.
Large rural sites as villages and hilltop sites play important roles in such divergent settlement strategies, and the paper presents some archaeological methods to integrate such sites better in field survey projects.
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This paper investigates the settlement developments of the landscape around the ancient town of Venusia in southern Italy using legacy field survey data. A Latin colony was established here in 291 BC and also other subsequent Roman... more
This paper investigates the settlement developments of the landscape around the ancient town of Venusia in southern Italy using legacy field survey data. A Latin colony was established here in 291 BC and also other subsequent Roman colonization movements are known from the literary sources. As in many other Roman colonial landscapes, trends in the settlement data of Venusia have previously been linked to the impact of Roman colonization, which is usually understood as a drastic transformation of the pre-Roman settlement landscape and land use. Rather than using theories on Roman colonial strategies for explaining possible settlement patterns (deductive approach), this paper presents an alternative, descriptive , bottom-up approach, and GIS-based inductive location preference analysis to investigate how the settlement landscape evolved in the Hellenistic and Roman periods (particularly in the fourth–first century BC). Following closely the settlement choices from the pre-Roman conquest period onwards and assessing patterns in continuity and change in the settlement record, we demonstrate that pre-Roman rural settlement and land use strategies were not eradicated but instead strongly determined the location preferences for later settlements in the Bcolonial^ periods. If these settlement trends can be related at all to the colonization waves mentioned in the ancient literary sources, the conclusion should be that Roman colonization did not lead to radical landscape and land use transformations, as has traditionally been suggested. Instead, an organic and complementary rural infill over time is documented , in which cultural factors instead of land use potential played a key role.
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La intrincada relación entre el expansionismo romano y el desarrollo de la religión, las prácticas rituales y los lugares de culto en Italia es objeto de un intenso debate. El presente artículo ofrece una revisión de las tendencias... more
La intrincada relación entre el expansionismo romano y el desarrollo de la religión, las prácticas rituales y los lugares de culto en Italia es objeto de un intenso debate. El presente artículo ofrece una revisión de las tendencias actuales de este debate así como de sus fundamentos historiográficos, asimismo se examina el destino de los santuarios tras la conquista romana de la península itálica. A pesar de que las interpretaciones tradiciones han sido fuertemente criticadas, en ocasiones acertadamente, por estudios postcoloniales y deconstructivistas, no puede negarse de forma generalizada el impacto de la conquista romana. Un ejemplo es el debate en torno a la evolución de los llamados santuarios rurales. Tradicionalmente, estos se han entendido como una reminscencia de la sociedad itálica, que decae o incluso desaparece bajo la legislación y el desarrollo de la urbanización y centralización romana. Sin embargo, investigaciones en el patrón de asentamientos del mundo colonial republicano temprano e itálico muestran el papel jugado por los santuarios y los caseríos en áreas colonizadas y no colonizadas durante el periodo republicano en Italia. Esto cuestiona la validez de la oposición urbano y rural como marco explicativo para comprender el impacto de Roma y subraya la compatibilidad entre los modelos romano e itálico. Esta nueva perspectiva nos permite reconocer diferentes modos en el impacto del mundo romano, incluyendo dinámicas, procesos de interacción dentro y entre viejas y nuevas comunidades, también en zonas rurales y en aparentemente lejanos lugares de culto.
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Archaeological field survey data can be biased by many factors, such as ground visibility conditions (e.g. vegetation, plowing) and geomorphological processes (erosion, deposition). Both visibility and geomorphological factors need,... more
Archaeological field survey data can be biased by many factors, such as ground visibility conditions (e.g. vegetation, plowing) and geomorphological processes (erosion, deposition). Both visibility and geomorphological factors need, therefore, to be assessed when patterns of settlement and location preferences are inferred from survey data. Although both factors have been taken into account in a variety of fieldwork projects and studies, their combined effects remain hard to predict. In this paper, we aim to address this issue by presenting a visualization method that helps in evaluating in combination the possible visibility and geomorphological effects in regional, site-oriented field surveys. Capitalizing on first-hand data on both archaeology and soil types produced by the recent Leiden University field survey project in the area of Isernia (Roman Aesernia, Central-Southern Italy), we propose a combined application of statistical tests and geo-pedological analysis to assess the extent and scale of the main biases possibly affecting the interpretation of the ancient settlement organization. Translating both sets of biases into GIS maps, we indicate the likelihood that negative field survey observations (absence of sites), in specific parts of the landscape, are genuine or rather distorted by biasing factors. The resulting " archaeological detectability " maps allow researchers to formally highlight critical surveyed zones where the recording of evidence is likely unreliable, and thus provide a filter through which archaeologists can calibrate their interpretations of field survey datasets.
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This paper addresses the value of re-surveys in two different regions with different cultural and landscape formation histories: the Upper Volturno basin in Molise (the hinterland of the colony of Aesernia, modern Isernia), and the... more
This paper addresses the value of re-surveys in two different regions with different cultural and landscape formation histories: the Upper Volturno basin in Molise (the hinterland of the colony of Aesernia, modern Isernia), and the Melfese area in Basilicata (the hinterland of the colony of Venusia, modern Venosa). In these areas, we compare legacy datasets with newly acquired survey data in the same areas, and compare the results by means of statistics (Chi-square) and visual exploration (cartographical and GIS-based analysis). The statistical comparisons of these different surveys show that site numbers may change significantly. This paper explores the reasons for these dynamics in the archaeological surface record by focussing especially on landscape changes.
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'Romanizzazione religiosa' tra modello poliadico e processi culturali. Dalla destrutturazione postcoloniale a nuove prospettive sull’impatto della conquista romana, in L’Italia centrale e la creazione di una koiné culturale? I percorsi della 'romanizzazione' (ed. M.Aberson et al.) Bern 2016, 291-306more
Esiste un acceso dibattito circa l’effettivo impatto esercitato dalla conquista romana sui luoghi di culto e sulla dimensione religiosa dell’Italia antica. Nell’ambito della discussione su quella che si è venuta a chiamare ‘romanizzazione... more
Esiste un acceso dibattito circa l’effettivo impatto esercitato dalla conquista romana sui luoghi di culto e sulla dimensione religiosa dell’Italia antica. Nell’ambito della discussione su quella che si è venuta a chiamare ‘romanizzazione religiosa’ è possibile registrare un’ampia gamma di posizioni differenti assunte dai diversi studiosi, anche molto di recente. Tuttora, infatti, questo dibattito si trova al centro di accese critiche, se non addirittura di polemiche. A causa dello sviluppo molto frammentario di tale campo di ricerca, tentare di presentare una visione chiara della storia degli studi sulla romanizzazione religiosa non è un’operazione semplice. Il primo scopo di questo modesto contributo è proprio quello di evidenziare ulteriormente tale frammentarietà. Il dibattito sulla romanizzazione religiosa, in verità, si è venuto a costituire attraverso discorsi disciplinari fondamentalmente differenti e, per certi aspetti, difficilmente compatibili tra loro a livello analitico. In questo contributo, vorrei soffermarmi in particolare su due discorsi molto influenti sulla formazione di questo dibattito: quello del modello religioso poliadico (il cosiddetto ‘polis religion’ model) e quello dei processi culturali in senso materialistico.
In questi due discorsi ci sono chiare tendenze destrutturanti, o addirittura minimaliste, riguardo l’impatto romano sulle aree incorporate o colonizzate in epoca repubblicana. Nell’ambito del discorso creato intorno al modello religioso poliadico, questo impatto, in verità, è stato già da sempre stimato come minimo. Più di recente, però, anche all’interno del discorso riguardante i processi culturali, la portata della conquista romana è stata fortemente ridimensionata. Inoltre, forti dubbi sono stati espressi finanche nei confronti della effettiva romanità religiosa delle comunità romane o latine coloniali. L’enfasi riservata alla variabilità dei fenomeni religiosi in contesti coloniali insieme al mancato ritrovamento di attestazioni corrispondenti ai modelli rigidamente romani tradizionalmente attesi, in particolare, hanno contribuito a minimizzare l’impatto di Roma sui territori conquistati.
Mi sembra utile considerare, comunque, che tali critiche ‘destrutturanti’ potrebbero non essere sempre interpretabili in nome di un impatto romano più debole, o di modelli più inclusivi dell’espansionismo romano. Queste critiche derivano in gran parte dall’accettazione univoca del modello poliadico per le colonie.
Come intendo dimostrare in questa sede, un radicale abbandono di tale modello in senso territoriale comporta sostanziali differenze interpretative circa i caratteri dell’espansionismo romano. Una prospettiva non-territoriale, infatti, rende possibile delineare modalità e meccanismi dell’impatto romano alternativi a quelli tradizionalmente riconosciuti.
In questi due discorsi ci sono chiare tendenze destrutturanti, o addirittura minimaliste, riguardo l’impatto romano sulle aree incorporate o colonizzate in epoca repubblicana. Nell’ambito del discorso creato intorno al modello religioso poliadico, questo impatto, in verità, è stato già da sempre stimato come minimo. Più di recente, però, anche all’interno del discorso riguardante i processi culturali, la portata della conquista romana è stata fortemente ridimensionata. Inoltre, forti dubbi sono stati espressi finanche nei confronti della effettiva romanità religiosa delle comunità romane o latine coloniali. L’enfasi riservata alla variabilità dei fenomeni religiosi in contesti coloniali insieme al mancato ritrovamento di attestazioni corrispondenti ai modelli rigidamente romani tradizionalmente attesi, in particolare, hanno contribuito a minimizzare l’impatto di Roma sui territori conquistati.
Mi sembra utile considerare, comunque, che tali critiche ‘destrutturanti’ potrebbero non essere sempre interpretabili in nome di un impatto romano più debole, o di modelli più inclusivi dell’espansionismo romano. Queste critiche derivano in gran parte dall’accettazione univoca del modello poliadico per le colonie.
Come intendo dimostrare in questa sede, un radicale abbandono di tale modello in senso territoriale comporta sostanziali differenze interpretative circa i caratteri dell’espansionismo romano. Una prospettiva non-territoriale, infatti, rende possibile delineare modalità e meccanismi dell’impatto romano alternativi a quelli tradizionalmente riconosciuti.
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This paper examines settlement density and settlement patterns in the Roman colonial territories of Venusia, Cosa and Aesernia, located in three different landscapes of central southern Italy (modern Basilicata, Tuscany and Molise). Using... more
This paper examines settlement density and settlement patterns in the Roman colonial territories of Venusia, Cosa and Aesernia, located in three different landscapes of central southern Italy (modern Basilicata, Tuscany and Molise). Using a series of GIS tools, we conducted a comparative analysis of the density and spatial distribution of sites dating to the Hellenistic period (ca. 350–50 B.C.). We used the legacy settlement data collected by previous large-scale, intensive, site-oriented field surveys to test the validity of two competing rural settlement models of early Roman colonization: the conventional model of neatly organized settlements regularly dispersed across the landscape and the recently proposed theory that colonists adopted a polynuclear settlement strategy. After calculating the extent to which the archaeological datasets conform to the regular or polynuclear model, we conclude that only a very small portion of the colonized areas actually meets traditional expectations regarding the organization of early colonial settlements. Our analyses show that the legacy survey data is more consistent with the polynuclear settlement theory, but the data also reveals some completely unexpected patterns, suggesting that early Roman colonial landscapes were more diverse than previously thought.
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This paper presents the first results of a landscape archaeological project carried out in the territory of the ancient colony of Aesernia, modern Isernia, in Molise, Central-Southern Italy. The nature of Roman Republican colonization is... more
This paper presents the first results of a landscape archaeological project carried out in the territory of the ancient colony of Aesernia, modern Isernia, in Molise, Central-Southern Italy. The nature of Roman Republican colonization is currently hotly debated, and the field project aims to contribute to this discussion by investigating the non-urban aspect of a Roman Republican colony that was established in the midst of the Apennine mountains in 263 BC. Through a combination of extensive field surveys (seasons 2011-2013) and geological and geomorphological analysis, the preliminary results show the potential of a landscape archaeological approach and the diversity of settlement strategies within the colonized areas according to different landscape conditions.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Geomorphology, Soil Science, and 19 moreClassics, Roman History, Social Sciences, Volcanology, Landscape Archaeology, Colonialism, Roman Republic, Post-Colonialism, Natural Science, Roman Empire, Roman Republican History, Tephrochronology, Archaeological field survey, Roman colonisation, Samnites, Molise, Samnium, Etruria and Ancient Italy, and Roman Archaeology
'Roman colonization under the Republic' by Edward Togo Salmon (1969) can be considered *the* standard work on the subject, and is often quoted as representing 'the traditional view' of Roman colonies and their purpose in Roman history.... more
'Roman colonization under the Republic' by Edward Togo Salmon (1969) can be considered *the* standard work on the subject, and is often quoted as representing 'the traditional view' of Roman colonies and their purpose in Roman history. This paper seeks to position Salmon's study within the wider, and complex, debates in both Continental and Anglo-Saxon academia, arguing that Salmon's was a very specific view put forward in opposition to differing lines of thought. It follows that taking Salmon as a standard in recent and ongoing revisions of Roman colonisation, we risk losing sight of the much broader and richer debate on Roman colonisation and expansionism that was taking place up till the first half of the 20th century.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Classical Archaeology, Classics, Roman History, Roman Historiography, and 9 morePost-Colonialism, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Colonization, Greek and Roman historiography, Roman colonisation, Classics: Ancient History and Archaeology, Etruria and Ancient Italy, Roman Archaeology, and Colonialism and Imperialism
What did a Roman colony look like? ‘Like Rome, has long been the favorite answer. A standard reply to this question would at any rate evoke the image of a colonial urban center (oppidum) boasting political, commercial, and religious... more
What did a Roman colony look like? ‘Like Rome, has long been the favorite answer. A standard reply to this question would at any rate evoke the image of a colonial urban center (oppidum) boasting political, commercial, and religious services (forum, Capitolium) and a neatly partitioned hinterland producing food for the inhabitants of the colony (ager).
The main tenet of this view is that colonies were organized as Rome was: that is, as a city-state, with a clearly defined center and a clearly defined territory (cf. also Pelgrom in this volume). In light of exciting new work on Roman colonization in the Early and Mid-Republican periods, however, it now seems imperative to review the evidence for this model and remain open to vastly differing scenarios when assessing the organization and appearance of Roman colonies of the Latin right before the Late Republican period. This paper aims to contribute to this reassessment by investigating the socio-political, and especially the territorial, make-up of Roman Republican colonial communities through an analysis of colonial cults and cult sites and their location in the colonial landscape. After reviewing the arguments in support of the standard thesis that colonies copied the city-state model supposedly set by Rome and examining the actual archaeological and epigraphic evidence for the earlier phases of Roman colonies of the Latin right in Italy, it will be argued that the character and morphology of the sacred colonial landscape do not support traditional assumptions that Roman Republican colonies were city-states à la grecque, and that the available evidence instead points toward a different model of socio-political organization.
The main tenet of this view is that colonies were organized as Rome was: that is, as a city-state, with a clearly defined center and a clearly defined territory (cf. also Pelgrom in this volume). In light of exciting new work on Roman colonization in the Early and Mid-Republican periods, however, it now seems imperative to review the evidence for this model and remain open to vastly differing scenarios when assessing the organization and appearance of Roman colonies of the Latin right before the Late Republican period. This paper aims to contribute to this reassessment by investigating the socio-political, and especially the territorial, make-up of Roman Republican colonial communities through an analysis of colonial cults and cult sites and their location in the colonial landscape. After reviewing the arguments in support of the standard thesis that colonies copied the city-state model supposedly set by Rome and examining the actual archaeological and epigraphic evidence for the earlier phases of Roman colonies of the Latin right in Italy, it will be argued that the character and morphology of the sacred colonial landscape do not support traditional assumptions that Roman Republican colonies were city-states à la grecque, and that the available evidence instead points toward a different model of socio-political organization.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Classics, Landscape Archaeology, and 10 moreArchaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Acculturation and 'Romanisation', Sacred Landscape (Archaeology), Archaeology of Roman Religion, Roman colonisation, Roman colonization, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, Etruria and Ancient Italy, Roman Archaeology, and Graeco-Roman Religion
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Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Acculturation and 'Romanisation', Archaeology, Classical archaeology, Greek and Roman history, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Material Culture Studies, Funerary Archaeology, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, and 2 moreEtruria and Ancient Italy and Roman Archaeology
Research Interests: Roman History, Landscape Archaeology, Roman Religion, Archaeology of Religion, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, and 9 moreRoman Temples, Roman Italy, Greek and Roman Art and Architecture, Roman Architecture and Urbanism, Roman Architecture, Pre-Roman Italy, Roman Sanctuaries, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, and Roman Archaeology
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Roman History, Landscape Archaeology, Roman Religion, and 20 moreColonialism, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Etruscan Archaeology, Acculturation and 'Romanisation', Roman Temples, Archaeology of Roman Religion, Romanization, Roman imperialism, Italic Archaeology, Small votive bronzes (Etruscan and Italic cultures), Imperialism, Roman colonisation, Roman Sanctuaries, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Roman colonization, Popoli italici, Votive offerings, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, Archaeology of Colonialism, and Graeco-Roman Religion
Brief overview in Italian of recent and ongoing fieldwork projects (survey, excavation, prospection) in ancient Samnium, modern Molise, including the Tappino Valley (Campobasso area), the territory of ancient Aesernia (modern Isernia),... more
Brief overview in Italian of recent and ongoing fieldwork projects (survey, excavation, prospection) in ancient Samnium, modern Molise, including the Tappino Valley (Campobasso area), the territory of ancient Aesernia (modern Isernia), and the territory of ancient Larinum (modern Larino).
Research Interests:
Recent and ongoing technological developments make the application of unmanned aerial platforms increasingly accessible for archaeological research and heritage management. While the effectiveness of drones for documentation purposes of... more
Recent and ongoing technological developments make the application of unmanned aerial platforms increasingly accessible for archaeological research and heritage management. While the effectiveness of drones for documentation purposes of standing monuments and excavations has been amply demonstrated in recent years, there are also promising developments in their application for landscape archaeological projects. In this paper, the potential use of drones for the detection of subsurface archaeological remains in mountainous, Mediterranean landscapes is explored by presenting a case study in Molise, South Italy. In this rugged, Apennine area, traditional aerial archaeology approaches have in the past failed to yield good results as regards the detection and documentation of subsurface structures through crop marks. Recent experiments with low altitude, both vertical and oblique aerial photography using small, consumer friendly UAV's drones have, however, produced important and clearly readable information about the existence and extent of subsurface features in a series of sites in the Tappino Valley in Molise. This paper presents the first results of a case study of a complex rural site of the Classical-Roman period. Consequently, the paper discusses the potential value and feasibility of UAV's for archaeological research and cultural heritage management. In particular, the potential of the integration of UAV imagery in existing standard landscape archaeological research methods, such as field survey and geo-physical prospection, is discussed. It is concluded that the targeted use of small remote controlled aerial platforms can significantly add to existing practices of both site-recognition and heritage management in the heavily threatened Mediterranean landscapes, and that it can be feasibly and efficiently integrated within standard methodologies applied in field survey projects.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Roman History, Remote Sensing, Cultural Heritage, and 13 moreAerial Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Remote sensing and GIS applications in Landscape Research, Rural Settlement, Roman rural settlements, Archaeological field survey, Aerial Photography, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Molise, Drones, Samnium, and Roman Archaeology
Research Interests:
This brief article addresses the potential of the study of rural sanctuaries for understanding the performance and general structure of non-urban society in ancient Samnium. Samnium, a mountainous area in central-southern Italy, is known... more
This brief article addresses the potential of the study of rural sanctuaries for understanding the performance and general structure of non-urban society in ancient Samnium. Samnium, a mountainous area in central-southern Italy, is known for its non-urbanized settlement organization in the Classical and Hellenistic periods. This article discusses different methodologies to assess the local and regional significance of rural cult sites in this particular societal structure. In reply to a recent article in this journal, it is argued that strong local variability of rural cult sites cannot be ascertained on the basis of the disparate available architectural evidence. On the other hand, it is shown that a landscape archaeological approach, i.e. applying intensive field surveys around Samnite sanctuaries, adds significantly to our understanding of the social function of these cult sites. The surveys (2004–present) document a clear nucleation of rural settlement around cult sites, probably reflecting farm–village communities, and demonstrating the strong local embeddedness of the rural cult sites. The order of magnitude of the rural communities living around the sanctuaries is broadly comparable, which gives us a tangible sense of the character and general structure of Samnite non-urban society.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Classics, Landscape Archaeology, and 9 moreClassics: Ancient History and Archaeology, Samnites, Roman Sanctuaries, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, Samnium, Etruria and Ancient Italy, Roman Archaeology, Graeco-Roman Religion, and Numismatica Samnium
This paper presents an overview of current thinking about the 'religious Romanization' of Italy in the republican period. Recent insights show that the traditional image of urban colonies as key-factors in the spread of Roman religious... more
This paper presents an overview of current thinking about the 'religious
Romanization' of Italy in the republican period. Recent insights show that the traditional image of urban colonies as key-factors in the spread of Roman religious ideas cannot be correct. On the other hand, there are indications of substantial Roman impact on Italic religious structures in other fields, such as the incorporation of already existing Italic sanctuaries in Roman administrative structures, and the introduction of Roman cults and rituals in rural Italian territories which came to resort
under Roman administration.
Romanization' of Italy in the republican period. Recent insights show that the traditional image of urban colonies as key-factors in the spread of Roman religious ideas cannot be correct. On the other hand, there are indications of substantial Roman impact on Italic religious structures in other fields, such as the incorporation of already existing Italic sanctuaries in Roman administrative structures, and the introduction of Roman cults and rituals in rural Italian territories which came to resort
under Roman administration.
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Introduzione divulgativa al progetto Landscapes of Early Roman Colonization (NWO)
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Religion, Classical Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Roman Religion, Roman Republic, and 10 moreAncient magic, Greek and Roman Epigraphy, Samnites, Italic Archaeology, Etruscology, Greek and Roman Archaeology, Greek and Roman Social History, Roman Archaeology, Graeco-Roman Religion, Add Pre Roman Italy, Sabellians, and Bronze Items
One of a series of responses to a positition paper by Miguel-John Versluys (all included here)
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The territory of Venosa (Potenza - Italy), ancient Venusia (291 BC), is one of the best investigated Roman colonial territories in Italy. During more than a decade of intensive landscape archaeological research conducted in the context of... more
The territory of Venosa (Potenza - Italy), ancient Venusia (291 BC), is one of the best investigated Roman colonial territories in Italy. During more than a decade of intensive landscape archaeological research conducted in the context of the Forma Italiae project an area of seven hundred square kilometres has been investigated and more than two thousand archaeological sites dating from Prehistory to the Middle Ages have been mapped. This enormous quantity of data is now being used to protect and promote the cultural heritage of this area, and as a crucial academic instrument for further archaeological and historical research. Nonetheless, important historical questions remain to be scrutinized further. Especially in the light of recently developing research questions and improved ceramic chronologies, various facets of this ancient colonial landscape deserve detailed analysis. In the context of the ‘Landscapes of Early Roman Colonization project’ (http://landscapesofearlyromancolonization.com) new field research has been conducted in the Venosa area, focusing on early colonial settlement organization and in particular on the role of nucleated rural sites within it. In this paper the outlines of this new research project are presented as well as the results from one key site: the nucleated settlement site of Masseria Allamprese.
Research Interests:
The landscape of Basilicata in Southern Italy poses arduous problems for reading the region's archaeological remains using remote sensing techniques. While the nearby plain of Foggia is famous for its wealth of archaeological sites... more
The landscape of Basilicata in Southern Italy poses arduous problems for reading the region's archaeological remains using remote sensing techniques. While the nearby plain of Foggia is famous for its wealth of archaeological sites detected from the air (e.g. Bradford, 1949; Ceraudo, 2009; Goffredo, 2006), hardly any archaeological traces have been identified in the adjacent Melfese area (North Basilicata). As both regions are characterized by large-scale cereal crop cultivation, this difference cannot be easily explained from agricultural practices alone. Solutions for this conundrum have been proposed by emphasizing the geological and pedological differences between the two regions. While acknowledging that these geo-pedological circumstances strongly influence the visibility of traces of the past in the Melfese landscape, this paper argues that this is only part of the explanation. By analysing short-term changes in the readabil-ity of the traces of the WWII airfield of Venosa (Potenza, Italy), this research highlights the importance of seasonal and climatologic circumstances in remote sensing, as well as human interventions in the landscape. These results complement previous knowledge and signal promising lines of enquiry for disclosing the well-hidden archaeological landscape of the Melfese area and Central-Southern Italy in general.
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Poster at Archaeological Prospection September 2015, presenting results from a combined approach of gpr, resistivity, and magnetometer at a large, complex rural site in the territory of the colony Aesernia, founded by Rome 263 BC.
Research Interests: Roman History, Roman Religion, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Roman Epigraphy, Archaeology of Roman Religion, and 7 moreRomanization, Italic Archaeology, Roman Sanctuaries, Italic Archaeology, Etruscology, Greek and Roman Archaeology, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, Etruria and Ancient Italy, and Roman Archaeology
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ROMA E LA FORMAZIONE DI UN’ITALIA “ROMANA” Workshop internazionale 17-18 giugno 2019 a Roma, all'Istituto Olandese. Collaborazione tra La Sapienza, Istituto Olandese/Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut Rome (KNIR), via Omero 12, e USC -... more
ROMA E LA FORMAZIONE DI UN’ITALIA “ROMANA”
Workshop internazionale 17-18 giugno 2019 a Roma, all'Istituto Olandese.
Collaborazione tra La Sapienza, Istituto Olandese/Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut Rome (KNIR), via Omero 12, e USC - Proyecto de excelencia MINECO/FEDER.
Workshop internazionale 17-18 giugno 2019 a Roma, all'Istituto Olandese.
Collaborazione tra La Sapienza, Istituto Olandese/Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut Rome (KNIR), via Omero 12, e USC - Proyecto de excelencia MINECO/FEDER.
Research Interests:
DIVERGING TRAJECTORIES: Approaches to Italian Urbanism in the Era of the Roman Conquest Conference at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR), 26-27 June 2019. Between the 4th and the 2nd centuries BCE the Roman system expanded to... more
DIVERGING TRAJECTORIES:
Approaches to Italian Urbanism in the Era of the Roman Conquest
Conference at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR), 26-27 June 2019.
Between the 4th and the 2nd centuries BCE the Roman system expanded to include territories with very diverse urban cultures and traditions, from the old city states of Etruria to the polities of the Appennine uplands. Roman conquest has been traditionally considered a decisive factor in the development of urban culture throughout Italy, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the socioeconomic conditions and previous settlement patterns of each area were equally important. Conference participants seek to offer a more balanced evaluation of the urbanization process in Italy starting from a
detailed analysis of each area based on recent and current fieldwork.
Organised by Fabio Colivicchi (Queen's), Myles McCallum (St Mary's) and Tesse Stek (KNIR)
Approaches to Italian Urbanism in the Era of the Roman Conquest
Conference at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR), 26-27 June 2019.
Between the 4th and the 2nd centuries BCE the Roman system expanded to include territories with very diverse urban cultures and traditions, from the old city states of Etruria to the polities of the Appennine uplands. Roman conquest has been traditionally considered a decisive factor in the development of urban culture throughout Italy, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the socioeconomic conditions and previous settlement patterns of each area were equally important. Conference participants seek to offer a more balanced evaluation of the urbanization process in Italy starting from a
detailed analysis of each area based on recent and current fieldwork.
Organised by Fabio Colivicchi (Queen's), Myles McCallum (St Mary's) and Tesse Stek (KNIR)
Research Interests:
The Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University hosts an international conference on the archaeology of the Roman period in Portugal and its place in the Roman West. The conference brings together archaeologists and ancient historians... more
The Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University hosts an international conference on the archaeology of the Roman period in Portugal and its place in the Roman West. The conference brings together archaeologists and ancient historians from different academic backgrounds who are working in the Iberian peninsula and the wider Western Mediterranean. It aims to present new data and insights from various fields and approaches, and to discuss their significance for our understanding of Roman expansion and colonialism.
Five sessions revolve around new insights from landscape archaeological projects, developments in the economy, the process of military expansion, processes of centralization and urbanization, and the ritual and religious sphere. A key goal of the conference is to discuss how the Portuguese panorama compares to other areas in the Iberian peninsula, and to foreground its contribution to current debates about Roman expansion and incorporation in the Central and Western Mediterranean.
With a view to assess the potential of integrating best practices in archaeological approaches and methodology, different national and disciplinary research traditions and historical frameworks will be explicitly discussed. As such, the conference aims to explore ways to collaborate more closely between various Mediterranean areas and research projects, and to develop a shared research agenda.
Five sessions revolve around new insights from landscape archaeological projects, developments in the economy, the process of military expansion, processes of centralization and urbanization, and the ritual and religious sphere. A key goal of the conference is to discuss how the Portuguese panorama compares to other areas in the Iberian peninsula, and to foreground its contribution to current debates about Roman expansion and incorporation in the Central and Western Mediterranean.
With a view to assess the potential of integrating best practices in archaeological approaches and methodology, different national and disciplinary research traditions and historical frameworks will be explicitly discussed. As such, the conference aims to explore ways to collaborate more closely between various Mediterranean areas and research projects, and to develop a shared research agenda.
Research Interests:
Roman colonization and expansionism in the Republican period, and its impact on the ancient Mediterranean and beyond, are intensely debated in current ancient historical and archaeological research. Traditional, diffusionist views from... more
Roman colonization and expansionism in the Republican period, and its impact on the ancient Mediterranean and beyond, are intensely debated in current ancient historical and archaeological research. Traditional, diffusionist views from the late 19th and especially the 20th century have recently been heavily criticized, and many socio-economic and cultural developments in ancient Italy (e.g. agricultural developments, 'romanization') have been disconnected from Roman conquest and expansionism. Although this development has been extremely important and salutary, this session departs from the idea that we should be careful not to throw away the baby with the bathwater. Very recent and ongoing research can be seen as pointing at real Roman impact in various spheres - if in different ways and places than often assumed. In this session, we investigate whether, and if so to what extent, we can invert the causal logic between a series of new socio-economic and cultural developments in the ancient Mediterranean and Roman colonization. In particular, we will explore the notion that Roman expansionism actively targeted hotspots in both economic ánd cultural networks of special interest in the conquered areas. Seeing local cultural resources at equal footing with more standard local economic resources, and exploring the ways the Roman conquest further enabled and energized these hotspots, stimulates us to rethink the primary workings of Roman expansionism.
Research Interests:
Roman colonization and expansionism in the Republican period, and its impact on the ancient Mediterranean and beyond, are intensely debated in current ancient historical and archaeological research. Traditional, diffusionist views from... more
Roman colonization and expansionism in the Republican period, and its impact on the ancient Mediterranean and beyond, are intensely debated in current ancient historical and archaeological research. Traditional, diffusionist views from the late 19th and especially the 20th century have recently been heavily criticized, and many socioeconomic and cultural developments in ancient Italy (e.g. agricultural developments, 'romanization') have been disconnected from Roman conquest and expansionism. Although this development has been extremely important and salutary, this session departs from the idea that we should be careful not to throw away the baby with the bathwater. Very recent and ongoing research can be seen as pointing at real Roman impact in various spheres-if in different ways and places than traditionally assumed. In this session, we investigate whether, and if so to what extent, we can invert the causal logic between a series of new socioeconomic and cultural developments in the ancient Mediterranean and Roman colonization. In particular, we will explore the notion that Roman expansionism actively targeted hotspots in both economic and cultural networks of special interest in the conquered areas. Seeing local cultural resources at equal footing with more standard local economic resources, and exploring the ways the Roman conquest further enabled and energized these hotspots, stimulates us to rethink the primary workings of Roman expansionism.
Proposals for contributions, from provinces and elsewhere alike, are welcome.
See http://www.aiac2018.de/ for the procedure and https://www.academia.edu/31419127/The_impact_of_Roman_expansion_and_colonization_on_ancient_Italy_in_the_Republican_period._From_diffusionism_to_networks_of_opportunity for the position paper with examples regarding republican Italy.
Proposals for contributions, from provinces and elsewhere alike, are welcome.
See http://www.aiac2018.de/ for the procedure and https://www.academia.edu/31419127/The_impact_of_Roman_expansion_and_colonization_on_ancient_Italy_in_the_Republican_period._From_diffusionism_to_networks_of_opportunity for the position paper with examples regarding republican Italy.
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The study of cultural change in the Roman world is increasingly benefitting from longer term and wider geographical perspectives, lifting artificial boundaries between Republican period Mediterranean and Imperial period provincial... more
The study of cultural change in the Roman world is increasingly benefitting from longer term and wider geographical perspectives, lifting artificial boundaries between Republican period Mediterranean and Imperial period provincial studies. Works such as Keay/Terrenato 2001 have shown how different academic traditions shaped scholarly opinion in ways that cannot only be accounted for by real regional differences in antiquity. Different academic backgrounds and traditions have also been key to modern understandings of religious change. Although some similar divides between Italy and provinces, and Republican and Imperial period are discernable, the debate on the 'religious romanization' of the conquered areas has also taken very different paths. This session explores the interaction – or lack thereof – between the expanding Roman empire and existing or newly emerging religious and cultic constellations by focusing on the archaeology of cults and cult places. Carefully collected and analyzed archaeological data can offer information on the way that sacred spaces were established and used over time, and for processes of transformation where traditionally we have seen static and continuous cultic activity. At the same time, in such approaches the tension between large-scale overarching interpretations and the single constituent parts is particularly evident and needs explicit consideration. Engaging with different research traditions and areas, the session seeks to explore common trends as well as variabilities from a wide geographical and temporal perspective.
Coloniae, civitates foederatae, ager: culti e santuari nel Piceno meridionale tra romanizzazione e municipalizzazione, Filippo Demma and Tommaso Casci Ceccacci
Cult places during the Roman conquest of Eastern Iberia (3rdc. BC-1stc. AD). Transformations of ritual practices and sacred landscapes, Ignacio Grau Mira
Romans at Greek sanctuaries: a view from the Aegean, Annelies Cazemier
De-Romanizing religious developments in the Roman West, Ralph Haussler
The impact of empire on cult places and ritual practices in Roman Gaul and Germany, Ton Derks
Mithraism and Religious Change: A View from Apulum Mithraeum III, Matt McCarty, Mariana Egri, Aurel Rustoiu
Coloniae, civitates foederatae, ager: culti e santuari nel Piceno meridionale tra romanizzazione e municipalizzazione, Filippo Demma and Tommaso Casci Ceccacci
Cult places during the Roman conquest of Eastern Iberia (3rdc. BC-1stc. AD). Transformations of ritual practices and sacred landscapes, Ignacio Grau Mira
Romans at Greek sanctuaries: a view from the Aegean, Annelies Cazemier
De-Romanizing religious developments in the Roman West, Ralph Haussler
The impact of empire on cult places and ritual practices in Roman Gaul and Germany, Ton Derks
Mithraism and Religious Change: A View from Apulum Mithraeum III, Matt McCarty, Mariana Egri, Aurel Rustoiu
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Archaeology, Roman History, Roman Historiography, Landscape Archaeology, Latin Epigraphy, and 8 moreArchaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Etruscan Archaeology, Ancient Italy, Hillforts and Enclosures, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, Etruria and Ancient Italy, and Roman Archaeology
As the most notorious opponents of Rome from Italian ground, the people referred to as Samnites in the sources have always occupied a special position in scholarship on ancient Italy and early Roman expansionism. The prominence of Samnium... more
As the most notorious opponents of Rome from Italian ground, the people referred to as Samnites in the sources have always occupied a special position in scholarship on ancient Italy and early Roman expansionism. The prominence of Samnium and the Samnites in classical studies is primarily due to Livy’s impressive account of the Samnite Wars. Over the last decades, historiographical research has however led to a more nuanced and variegated picture of the conflict and its protagonists. Recent studies have even begun to question the historical role of ‘the Samnites’, and have indeed tended to deconstruct notions of strong Samnite socio-political cohesion and organizational capacity, as well as its archaeological visibility. The importance of careful contextual analysis of texts and archaeology is clear. Yet, the ultimate conclusions reached by some of the recent ‘deconstructivist’ studies are not uniformly accepted across different schools of thought. Especially the issues of a shared Samnite identity or socio-political organization, and the veracity of Samnite military power and expansion have become the subjects of a heated debate. Views on Samnite cohesion, organizational power and demography are not only important to understand the functioning of a distinctive societal configuration in challenging environmental conditions, it also has important implications for our understanding of early Roman imperialism. As yet, these developing theoretical positions have remained partly isolated from very exciting new archaeological evidence. This conference aims to open up the discussion on these contested issues by discussing these new archaeological findings and new views on the existing evidence.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Classics, Roman History, and 23 moreRoman Historiography, Landscape Archaeology, Hellenistic History, Roman Religion, Hellenistic and Roman Fortifications, Italic Languages, Latin Epigraphy, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Roman Epigraphy, Roman Empire, Archeologia, Archaeology of Roman Religion, Roman imperialism, Roman colonisation, Samnites, Greek and Roman Colonization, Hillforts and Enclosures, Archeologia Classica, Samnite Wars, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Popoli italici, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, and Samnium
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New synergies? The Impact of the Roman Conquest of Italy on Settlement and Society Session organisers: Jamie Sewell and Tesse Stek The Romano-centric historical narrative of the conquest (341 to 265 BC) is well studied, as is the... more
New synergies? The Impact of the Roman Conquest of Italy on Settlement and Society
Session organisers: Jamie Sewell and Tesse Stek
The Romano-centric historical narrative of the conquest (341 to 265 BC) is well studied, as is the phenomenon of Roman colonisation which came in its wake. Yet an impressive quantity of published results from recent field projects is shedding bright new light on the conquest from the point of view of the conquered. In the period 350 to 300 BC, very large quantities of fortified and rural settlements were created, revealing that communities across much of the peninsula were flourishing. Societal and institutional change at this time is reflected, for example, in settlement dynamics, burial practice, and the development of civic institutions. The conquest created complex patterns of abandonment, continuity and change. New synergies resulted, particularly apparent in new land use strategies, the survival and enhancement of pre-conquest cult places, and the coalescing of new urban centres on or near major pre-conquest settlement sites.
Rather than focusing upon Roman impact versus local reaction, the panel proposes to study the dynamics of the post-conquest period in terms of synergy in a broader framework of Hellenistic technological and ideological developments. By addressing the formative period of Roman imperialism in this way, important parallels with the Roman provinces may be drawn, adding chronological depth to, as well as further exploring currently emerging concepts of Roman imperialism that are less centre- periphery oriented. With papers covering a consistent geographical spectrum, the panel will present results on many aspects of the reconfigurations occurring during and after the conquest period (settlement dynamics, land use, elite roles, religion, cultural and institutional change).
j.p.sewell@durham.ac.uk and t.d.stek@arch.leidenuniv.nl Friday,
Room G15, Henley Business School
9.00 The changing face of South Etruria, Hilary Becker
9.30 Settlement and Society in Hellenistic Etruria, Robert Witcher
10.00 Local elites of Adriatic Italy and their ‘paradoxical’ Romanization, Fabio Colivicchi
10.30 Coffee
11.00 Developments in Larinum and its surrounding territory in the aftermath of the Roman conquest of Italy, Elizabeth Robinson
11.30 The dynamics of higher order settlements on the Italian peninsula (350 - 200 BC): a quantitative analysis, Jamie Sewell
12.00 Village type settlements and Roman expansion in the mid-Republican period: new evidence from Molise and Basilicata, Tesse Stek
ABSTRACTS
The Changing Face of South Etruria
Hilary Becker (University of Mississippi, USA)
After the fall of Veii, cities such as Caere, Tarquinia and Vulci vacillated between peace, cautious truce, to full-out war and even the succession of land to Rome. This paper seeks to map the experience of Romanization in south Etruria during the Hellenistic period. To seek this out, we will look in particular at archaeological and epigraphic evidence to explore how the mechanisms of daily life in Etruria were impacted by Rome’s encroaching presence, in the areas of commerce, trade, and transport, coinage, governance, and warfare. The frescoes of the Tomb of Giglioli at Tarquinia, and its walls decorated with armour, will provide one of the valuable case studies used in this examination.
hwbecker@olemiss.edu
Settlement and Society in Hellenistic Etruria
Robert Witcher (Durham University, UK)
In this paper I examine the changing settlement, population and economy of Etruria during the Hellenistic period. My previous study of Etruria, focussing on the early imperial period, identified considerable sub-regional variability which appeared to result from the long-term effects of Roman colonial control, and the specific economic and demographic impact of the development of Rome as a metropolis. In particular, regional survey suggested that whereas settlement density reached its peak along the coast and in southern Etruria during the early imperial period, settlement across inland Etruria appeared to reach its maximum density during the Hellenistic period before declining, sometimes sharply, in the early imperial period. This paper seeks to review some of the evidence for settlement from Hellenistic Etruria in order to tease out the origins of later settlement trajectories, and to explore the dialogues between Romans and Etruscans, between urban and rural populations, and between elites and commoners which defined the extension of Roman power across Etruria during the final centuries BC.
r.e.witcher@durham.ac.uk
Local Elites of Adriatic Italy and their ‘Paradoxical’ Romanization
Fabio Colivicchi (Queen's University, Ontario, Canada)
Through the discussion of two different case studies, the port city of Ancona and the region of Daunia, a seemingly paradoxical phenomenon is evident that is visible especially in Adriatic Italy – but by no means exclusively - between the 3rd and the 1st centuries BC: a strong increase in signs of ‘Hellenization’ precisely when the political control of Rome is established over Italy. The two case studies confirm that the dualism of ‘Hellenism’ and ‘Romanization’ in the traditional sense of binary opposition is not a productive heuristic tool. In fact Hellenism was not used by the communities of Adriatic Italy to separate themselves from Rome, but to join the developing system of Roman Italy, where Hellenism was a fundamental component for the construction of an increasingly integrated peninsular network.
colivicf@queensu.ca
Developments in Larinum and its Surrounding Territory in the Aftermath of the
Roman Conquest of Italy
Elizabeth Robinson (ICCS Rome,Duke University)
This paper presents a local-level case study of the effects of the Roman conquest on Larinum and its surrounding territory from 400 BC to AD 100. By considering all of the available evidence, it creates a context-sensitive narrative of Larinum’s transition from independent community to Roman municipium. Prosopographical analysis of epigraphic and literary sources shows significant continuity in the local population, particularly among the elites. This is mirrored in the settlement patterns, where reanalysis of the Biferno Valley Survey evidence demonstrates stability of both farms and villas throughout this period. Such findings seem to contrast with new Hellenistic monument types and decorative schemes appearing in the town, but by combining all the evidence it becomes clear that it was the local elites who chose to employ these elements. The stylistic changes reflect the adoption of Mediterranean-wide trends by the local people, rather than the arrival of outside groups at Larinum
Elizabeth.robinson.400@gmail.com
The Dynamics of Higher Order Settlements on the Italian Peninsula (350 - 200 BC): a Quantitative Analysis
Jamie Sewell (Durham University, UK).
My paper examines the impact of the Roman conquest on all fortified settlements larger than 2 hectares on the Italian peninsula south of the Po. For much of central and southern Italy the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC represent an intense period of settlement creation and renewal. This flourishing coincides exactly with the period of the Roman conquest. How should this phenomenon be understood? Traditionally, it has been studied on a regional basis. As a result, the suggested processes responsible for it differ according to region. My analysis is interregional, comparing local trajectories and their scholarly traditions. Although many centres endured the conquest, by the 2nd century BC their overall number had reduced, and many large urban centres had been redimensioned. This raises an intriguing question, the complexity of which will be explored in the paper: on balance, could Rome be considered as a force for de-urbanisation?
j.p.sewell@durham.ac.uk
Village Type Settlements and Roman Expansion in the Mid-Republican Period: New Evidence from Molise and Basilicata
Tesse Stek (Leiden University, Netherlands)
Roman expansion has typically been associated with urbanism. As a result - and with considerable success - research has often focused on urban contexts, urbanization processes, and, with regard to the hinterland, on the related rationalization of the territory (centuriation). New research hypothesizes, however, that ‘lower-order’ rural settlements and institutions played a considerable role in early Roman expansion and settlement strategies. A combination of the re-reading of epigraphic and archaeological settlement data from colonial territories indeed points to the existence of nucleated or clustered settlement patterns, rather than the anticipated neatly divided landscapes. In this paper, this research direction is further explored and illustrated with new archaeological evidence from the recently started Landscapes of Early Roman Colonization project (NWO), which tests the above hypothesis in the colonial territories of Aesernia (founded 263 BC, modern Molise) and Venusia (founded 291 BC, modern Basilicata).
t.d.stek@arch.leidenuniv.nl
Session organisers: Jamie Sewell and Tesse Stek
The Romano-centric historical narrative of the conquest (341 to 265 BC) is well studied, as is the phenomenon of Roman colonisation which came in its wake. Yet an impressive quantity of published results from recent field projects is shedding bright new light on the conquest from the point of view of the conquered. In the period 350 to 300 BC, very large quantities of fortified and rural settlements were created, revealing that communities across much of the peninsula were flourishing. Societal and institutional change at this time is reflected, for example, in settlement dynamics, burial practice, and the development of civic institutions. The conquest created complex patterns of abandonment, continuity and change. New synergies resulted, particularly apparent in new land use strategies, the survival and enhancement of pre-conquest cult places, and the coalescing of new urban centres on or near major pre-conquest settlement sites.
Rather than focusing upon Roman impact versus local reaction, the panel proposes to study the dynamics of the post-conquest period in terms of synergy in a broader framework of Hellenistic technological and ideological developments. By addressing the formative period of Roman imperialism in this way, important parallels with the Roman provinces may be drawn, adding chronological depth to, as well as further exploring currently emerging concepts of Roman imperialism that are less centre- periphery oriented. With papers covering a consistent geographical spectrum, the panel will present results on many aspects of the reconfigurations occurring during and after the conquest period (settlement dynamics, land use, elite roles, religion, cultural and institutional change).
j.p.sewell@durham.ac.uk and t.d.stek@arch.leidenuniv.nl Friday,
Room G15, Henley Business School
9.00 The changing face of South Etruria, Hilary Becker
9.30 Settlement and Society in Hellenistic Etruria, Robert Witcher
10.00 Local elites of Adriatic Italy and their ‘paradoxical’ Romanization, Fabio Colivicchi
10.30 Coffee
11.00 Developments in Larinum and its surrounding territory in the aftermath of the Roman conquest of Italy, Elizabeth Robinson
11.30 The dynamics of higher order settlements on the Italian peninsula (350 - 200 BC): a quantitative analysis, Jamie Sewell
12.00 Village type settlements and Roman expansion in the mid-Republican period: new evidence from Molise and Basilicata, Tesse Stek
ABSTRACTS
The Changing Face of South Etruria
Hilary Becker (University of Mississippi, USA)
After the fall of Veii, cities such as Caere, Tarquinia and Vulci vacillated between peace, cautious truce, to full-out war and even the succession of land to Rome. This paper seeks to map the experience of Romanization in south Etruria during the Hellenistic period. To seek this out, we will look in particular at archaeological and epigraphic evidence to explore how the mechanisms of daily life in Etruria were impacted by Rome’s encroaching presence, in the areas of commerce, trade, and transport, coinage, governance, and warfare. The frescoes of the Tomb of Giglioli at Tarquinia, and its walls decorated with armour, will provide one of the valuable case studies used in this examination.
hwbecker@olemiss.edu
Settlement and Society in Hellenistic Etruria
Robert Witcher (Durham University, UK)
In this paper I examine the changing settlement, population and economy of Etruria during the Hellenistic period. My previous study of Etruria, focussing on the early imperial period, identified considerable sub-regional variability which appeared to result from the long-term effects of Roman colonial control, and the specific economic and demographic impact of the development of Rome as a metropolis. In particular, regional survey suggested that whereas settlement density reached its peak along the coast and in southern Etruria during the early imperial period, settlement across inland Etruria appeared to reach its maximum density during the Hellenistic period before declining, sometimes sharply, in the early imperial period. This paper seeks to review some of the evidence for settlement from Hellenistic Etruria in order to tease out the origins of later settlement trajectories, and to explore the dialogues between Romans and Etruscans, between urban and rural populations, and between elites and commoners which defined the extension of Roman power across Etruria during the final centuries BC.
r.e.witcher@durham.ac.uk
Local Elites of Adriatic Italy and their ‘Paradoxical’ Romanization
Fabio Colivicchi (Queen's University, Ontario, Canada)
Through the discussion of two different case studies, the port city of Ancona and the region of Daunia, a seemingly paradoxical phenomenon is evident that is visible especially in Adriatic Italy – but by no means exclusively - between the 3rd and the 1st centuries BC: a strong increase in signs of ‘Hellenization’ precisely when the political control of Rome is established over Italy. The two case studies confirm that the dualism of ‘Hellenism’ and ‘Romanization’ in the traditional sense of binary opposition is not a productive heuristic tool. In fact Hellenism was not used by the communities of Adriatic Italy to separate themselves from Rome, but to join the developing system of Roman Italy, where Hellenism was a fundamental component for the construction of an increasingly integrated peninsular network.
colivicf@queensu.ca
Developments in Larinum and its Surrounding Territory in the Aftermath of the
Roman Conquest of Italy
Elizabeth Robinson (ICCS Rome,Duke University)
This paper presents a local-level case study of the effects of the Roman conquest on Larinum and its surrounding territory from 400 BC to AD 100. By considering all of the available evidence, it creates a context-sensitive narrative of Larinum’s transition from independent community to Roman municipium. Prosopographical analysis of epigraphic and literary sources shows significant continuity in the local population, particularly among the elites. This is mirrored in the settlement patterns, where reanalysis of the Biferno Valley Survey evidence demonstrates stability of both farms and villas throughout this period. Such findings seem to contrast with new Hellenistic monument types and decorative schemes appearing in the town, but by combining all the evidence it becomes clear that it was the local elites who chose to employ these elements. The stylistic changes reflect the adoption of Mediterranean-wide trends by the local people, rather than the arrival of outside groups at Larinum
Elizabeth.robinson.400@gmail.com
The Dynamics of Higher Order Settlements on the Italian Peninsula (350 - 200 BC): a Quantitative Analysis
Jamie Sewell (Durham University, UK).
My paper examines the impact of the Roman conquest on all fortified settlements larger than 2 hectares on the Italian peninsula south of the Po. For much of central and southern Italy the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC represent an intense period of settlement creation and renewal. This flourishing coincides exactly with the period of the Roman conquest. How should this phenomenon be understood? Traditionally, it has been studied on a regional basis. As a result, the suggested processes responsible for it differ according to region. My analysis is interregional, comparing local trajectories and their scholarly traditions. Although many centres endured the conquest, by the 2nd century BC their overall number had reduced, and many large urban centres had been redimensioned. This raises an intriguing question, the complexity of which will be explored in the paper: on balance, could Rome be considered as a force for de-urbanisation?
j.p.sewell@durham.ac.uk
Village Type Settlements and Roman Expansion in the Mid-Republican Period: New Evidence from Molise and Basilicata
Tesse Stek (Leiden University, Netherlands)
Roman expansion has typically been associated with urbanism. As a result - and with considerable success - research has often focused on urban contexts, urbanization processes, and, with regard to the hinterland, on the related rationalization of the territory (centuriation). New research hypothesizes, however, that ‘lower-order’ rural settlements and institutions played a considerable role in early Roman expansion and settlement strategies. A combination of the re-reading of epigraphic and archaeological settlement data from colonial territories indeed points to the existence of nucleated or clustered settlement patterns, rather than the anticipated neatly divided landscapes. In this paper, this research direction is further explored and illustrated with new archaeological evidence from the recently started Landscapes of Early Roman Colonization project (NWO), which tests the above hypothesis in the colonial territories of Aesernia (founded 263 BC, modern Molise) and Venusia (founded 291 BC, modern Basilicata).
t.d.stek@arch.leidenuniv.nl
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Roman History, Funerary Archaeology, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Ethnicity, Italic Archaeology, Etruscology, Greek and Roman Archaeology, and 6 moreEtruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Early Iron Age, Late Iron Age, Roman period, Late Antiquity, typology, chronology, distribution, function, fibulae, weapons, tools, harness, metal vessels, writing equipment, balances and weights, small finds, Fibulae, Samnium, Etruria and Ancient Italy, and Roman Archaeology
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Classical Archaeology, Roman Religion, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Domestic Architecture (Roman), and 5 moreHillforts and Enclosures, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Archeologia della Magna Grecia, Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy, and Roman Archaeology
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this contribution, I follow up on a stimulating discussion on research design and practice that emerged from the Summer School community in Ravenna in 2014. This discussion focused on the potential benefits of targeted,... more
In this contribution, I follow up on a stimulating discussion on research design and practice that emerged from the Summer School community in Ravenna in 2014. This discussion focused on the potential benefits of targeted, problem-oriented research in practical fieldwork approaches, as a light and efficient alternative to the recent, in part technology-driven, stimuli towards more generally inclusive, and often more inductive, research practices. Moreover, current emphases in academic teaching that advocate either for a theoretical or practical method in research practice often run the risk of remaining isolated from one another. From both the Ravenna summer school and from other discussions with graduate and undergraduate students, this gap now only seems to be widening in the face of the generally increased sophistication of archaeological fieldwork methods. Recent technological advances indeed sometimes can discourage the implementation of practical field work in smaller one-man research projects, such as typical (Research)MA or PhD theses.
In this view, practical field work would only be possible in the form of a highly specialized study (typically of separate find categories), with a perceived less direct relationship to broader theoretical research questions; these, instead, would be the exclusive realm of the theoretical archaeologist. Even in Italy, where, in contrast to for instance northwestern European academia, it is rather well accepted for a (Research)MA thesis to include actual fieldwork, one now often hears frustration because the quality and quantity of the collected data would be insufficient to contribute to research by modern standards. As a counterbalance to this very odd tendency, in this brief discussion paper I will argue for a more optimistic view on the possibility of including actual fieldwork, or field data, into broader analyses also at the (under)graduate levels. In order to make an argument for the feasibility of such an approach, I will raise two points. First, especially for small-scale research, it can be useful to shift the focus from what is technologically possible to a more specific definition of what we want to know. A technology driven approach is not the most apt form for small-scale projects, because of the evident limitations in institutional embedding, funding, people, and time. But developing a well-defined, specific research question is all the more feasible in such a single-person project context. Second, yet directly related to the first issue, I will emphasize the importance of research design as a bridge between theory and archaeological practice, and give practical examples of how such a project could be developed. This involves the conversion of research questions into practically testable hypotheses or models. Gearing (field) research towards the testing of such hypotheses can help to structure field research or field data analyses in manageable ways and to maximize its relevance for answering specific research questions.
In this view, practical field work would only be possible in the form of a highly specialized study (typically of separate find categories), with a perceived less direct relationship to broader theoretical research questions; these, instead, would be the exclusive realm of the theoretical archaeologist. Even in Italy, where, in contrast to for instance northwestern European academia, it is rather well accepted for a (Research)MA thesis to include actual fieldwork, one now often hears frustration because the quality and quantity of the collected data would be insufficient to contribute to research by modern standards. As a counterbalance to this very odd tendency, in this brief discussion paper I will argue for a more optimistic view on the possibility of including actual fieldwork, or field data, into broader analyses also at the (under)graduate levels. In order to make an argument for the feasibility of such an approach, I will raise two points. First, especially for small-scale research, it can be useful to shift the focus from what is technologically possible to a more specific definition of what we want to know. A technology driven approach is not the most apt form for small-scale projects, because of the evident limitations in institutional embedding, funding, people, and time. But developing a well-defined, specific research question is all the more feasible in such a single-person project context. Second, yet directly related to the first issue, I will emphasize the importance of research design as a bridge between theory and archaeological practice, and give practical examples of how such a project could be developed. This involves the conversion of research questions into practically testable hypotheses or models. Gearing (field) research towards the testing of such hypotheses can help to structure field research or field data analyses in manageable ways and to maximize its relevance for answering specific research questions.
Research Interests:
Information about the upcoming campaign in North Alentejo. Co-organized by Leiden University and Universdade de Évora, with the support of Prins Bernahard Cuulturfonds. The aim of the project is to investigate the long term impact of... more
Information about the upcoming campaign in North Alentejo. Co-organized by Leiden University and Universdade de Évora, with the support of Prins Bernahard Cuulturfonds.
The aim of the project is to investigate the long term impact of Roman expansionism in the Western Mediterranean. And engages with further research done in Central-South Italy and the river Duero valley.
The aim of the project is to investigate the long term impact of Roman expansionism in the Western Mediterranean. And engages with further research done in Central-South Italy and the river Duero valley.
Research Interests:
Field School em Portugal para Março de 2019l! Frontier Landscape Project (Alto Alentejo) - Call for participants at all student /PhD levels for field work in Alto Alentejo, Portugal, March 2019 - Portuguese version.
Research Interests:
Call for participants at all student /PhD levels for field work in Alto Alentejo, Portugal, March 2019. - English
Research Interests:
Fresh, innovative technology disrupts archaeological research. Drones discover new sites, or document excavations and standing architecture. In this KNIR Practicum, you explore the potential of drones. You acquire practical skills, from... more
Fresh, innovative technology disrupts archaeological research. Drones discover new sites, or document excavations and standing architecture.
In this KNIR Practicum, you explore the potential of drones. You acquire practical skills, from interpreting WWII photographs and LIDAR, to flying drones in the field collecting new aerial images. In the lab, you learn to process datasets through software packages. Your personal case-studies may range from exploring inaccessible mountains, to documenting single archaeological sites and monuments. Guided by experts, you learn how to combine and interpret the collected datasets, and how to present them in publications.
Free for BA, MA, RMA students/PhD students who study at Dutch universities.
In this KNIR Practicum, you explore the potential of drones. You acquire practical skills, from interpreting WWII photographs and LIDAR, to flying drones in the field collecting new aerial images. In the lab, you learn to process datasets through software packages. Your personal case-studies may range from exploring inaccessible mountains, to documenting single archaeological sites and monuments. Guided by experts, you learn how to combine and interpret the collected datasets, and how to present them in publications.
Free for BA, MA, RMA students/PhD students who study at Dutch universities.
Research Interests:
The Roman empire is one of the largest and most stable empires in world history. By conquest and diplomacy, Rome connected and integrated widely diverse communities from the Atlantic to the Euphrates, and from the Rhine to the Nile. The... more
The Roman empire is one of the largest and most stable empires in world history. By conquest and diplomacy, Rome connected and integrated widely diverse communities from the Atlantic to the Euphrates, and from the Rhine to the Nile. The new political constellation enabled large-scale mobility within the entire known world. Communities of Roman citizens were sent out to settle landscapes previously inhabited by foreign peoples and gods; large groups of migrants moved to Rome, by which new customs, rituals and gods migrated to the heart of the empire. How could the wildly diverse groups of migrants acquire a place, metaphorically as well as literally, in the Roman world? What was Rome’s position in the process? There is broad consensus that increased mobility of people and cults were a key feature in the heyday of Roman imperial expansion, but has at the same time been seen as the cause of its subsequent Decline and Fall.
In this course, we explore how both Rome and migrant communities managed and accommodated migration, and how the applied strategies of inclusion and exclusion relate to the stability of the empire. We approach the question of migration and imperial success by examining the relationship between mobility, religion and citizenship.
Target group and admission
The course is open to a maximum of 12 selected Master, Research Master and PhD students in Archaeology, Ancient History, Classics, Contemporary (Italian, European) History, Political Science, Philosophy, International Studies, International Relations, Cultural Anthropology, (Developmental) Sociology and related fields enrolled in one of the KNIR partner universities (RU, RUG, UL, UU, UvA, VU).
Course format and assignments
The course is organized by and hosted at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR). It consists of a two-week intensive seminar period in Rome and environs, with lectures, assignments and on-site visits and discussions. During the seminar, each participant delivers an oral presentation at an appropriate archaeological/historical site or museum in Rome.
Before and after the seminar participating students work independently on two written assignments:
– a written preparatory assignment (1.500 words)
– a concluding essay (5.000 words)
Credits and assessment
The study load is the equivalent of 6 ECTS (168 hours). Each student should arrange with his/her home coordinator whether the course can be a part of the existing curriculum. After successful completion of the course the KNIR provides a certificate mentioning study load and evaluation.
The study load is based on:
a) Before the seminar in Rome, independent study of course material and preparatory assignment: 1 ECTS (28 hours)
b) Intensive seminar in Rome (14 days): active participation, oral presentation and essay proposal: 4 ECTS (112 hours)
c) After the seminar: essay of 5.000 words: 1 ECTS (28 hours)
Assessment takes place on the basis of the preparatory assignment, based on the study of course material (10%), active participation and on-site presentation (40%), and the concluding essay (50%).
Costs
Tuition and lodging at the KNIR is free for selected participants from the above mentioned Dutch universities. Personal expenses and meals are not included. Students receive a €100 reimbursement of their expenses for travelling to Rome after submission of their final essay.
Facilities in Rome
All participants will be housed at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome’s Villa Borghese Park. From there, it is only a short walk to the historical center of Rome. The KNIR accommodation consists of shared bedrooms and bathrooms, and includes a living and dining space, a large kitchen, washing machine and wireless internet. All residents have 24/7 access to the library and gardens of the Institute.
Application and admission
Students can apply via the link below; include in your application:
• a letter of motivation
• a cv
• for (R)MA students: a recent list of grades provided by your university
In this course, we explore how both Rome and migrant communities managed and accommodated migration, and how the applied strategies of inclusion and exclusion relate to the stability of the empire. We approach the question of migration and imperial success by examining the relationship between mobility, religion and citizenship.
Target group and admission
The course is open to a maximum of 12 selected Master, Research Master and PhD students in Archaeology, Ancient History, Classics, Contemporary (Italian, European) History, Political Science, Philosophy, International Studies, International Relations, Cultural Anthropology, (Developmental) Sociology and related fields enrolled in one of the KNIR partner universities (RU, RUG, UL, UU, UvA, VU).
Course format and assignments
The course is organized by and hosted at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR). It consists of a two-week intensive seminar period in Rome and environs, with lectures, assignments and on-site visits and discussions. During the seminar, each participant delivers an oral presentation at an appropriate archaeological/historical site or museum in Rome.
Before and after the seminar participating students work independently on two written assignments:
– a written preparatory assignment (1.500 words)
– a concluding essay (5.000 words)
Credits and assessment
The study load is the equivalent of 6 ECTS (168 hours). Each student should arrange with his/her home coordinator whether the course can be a part of the existing curriculum. After successful completion of the course the KNIR provides a certificate mentioning study load and evaluation.
The study load is based on:
a) Before the seminar in Rome, independent study of course material and preparatory assignment: 1 ECTS (28 hours)
b) Intensive seminar in Rome (14 days): active participation, oral presentation and essay proposal: 4 ECTS (112 hours)
c) After the seminar: essay of 5.000 words: 1 ECTS (28 hours)
Assessment takes place on the basis of the preparatory assignment, based on the study of course material (10%), active participation and on-site presentation (40%), and the concluding essay (50%).
Costs
Tuition and lodging at the KNIR is free for selected participants from the above mentioned Dutch universities. Personal expenses and meals are not included. Students receive a €100 reimbursement of their expenses for travelling to Rome after submission of their final essay.
Facilities in Rome
All participants will be housed at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome’s Villa Borghese Park. From there, it is only a short walk to the historical center of Rome. The KNIR accommodation consists of shared bedrooms and bathrooms, and includes a living and dining space, a large kitchen, washing machine and wireless internet. All residents have 24/7 access to the library and gardens of the Institute.
Application and admission
Students can apply via the link below; include in your application:
• a letter of motivation
• a cv
• for (R)MA students: a recent list of grades provided by your university
Research Interests:
A Universidade de Leiden está a começar um novo projeto de trabalho de campo em Portugal. Em Janeiro de 2018, começa com uma escola de campo de inverno, como parte de uma nova colaboração entre a Universidade de Évora e a Faculdade de... more
A Universidade de Leiden está a começar um novo projeto de trabalho de campo em Portugal. Em Janeiro de 2018, começa com uma
escola de campo de inverno, como parte de uma nova colaboração entre a Universidade de Évora e a Faculdade de Arqueologia de Leiden.
Neste projeto de investigação, o nosso objectivo é estudarmos a Idade do Ferro e o período romano no Alentejo, para permitirmos
comparações mais amplas com outras áreas do Mediterrâneo Ocidental. Trabalharemos com uma equipa internacional de Leiden e Évora,
bem como com outras universidades européias.
Estaremos baseados num Centro Ciência Viva de Estremoz (veja a foto acima) com laboratórios, salas, acomodações e cozinha, que
estarão disponíveis o ano inteiro. Haverá muito boas oportunidades para desenvolver temas de tese de Mestrado, Master ou
Doutoramento que podem ser aprofundados com estadias de estudo em Portugal.
O nosso trabalho de campo em Janeiro e Fevereiro se centrará numa exploração da área através da prospecção arqueologica de campo,
teledetecção (drones, dados de satélite) e geofísica em diferentes sítios arqueológicos, como um castro da Idade do Ferro e vários sítios
romanos republicanos que nunca foram estudados antes. Trabalharemos do 14 de Janeiro até aproximadamente 5-10 de Fevereiro.
Alojamento, comida e transporte local serão fornecidos pelo projeto. Os custos da viagem poderão ser reembolsados.
escola de campo de inverno, como parte de uma nova colaboração entre a Universidade de Évora e a Faculdade de Arqueologia de Leiden.
Neste projeto de investigação, o nosso objectivo é estudarmos a Idade do Ferro e o período romano no Alentejo, para permitirmos
comparações mais amplas com outras áreas do Mediterrâneo Ocidental. Trabalharemos com uma equipa internacional de Leiden e Évora,
bem como com outras universidades européias.
Estaremos baseados num Centro Ciência Viva de Estremoz (veja a foto acima) com laboratórios, salas, acomodações e cozinha, que
estarão disponíveis o ano inteiro. Haverá muito boas oportunidades para desenvolver temas de tese de Mestrado, Master ou
Doutoramento que podem ser aprofundados com estadias de estudo em Portugal.
O nosso trabalho de campo em Janeiro e Fevereiro se centrará numa exploração da área através da prospecção arqueologica de campo,
teledetecção (drones, dados de satélite) e geofísica em diferentes sítios arqueológicos, como um castro da Idade do Ferro e vários sítios
romanos republicanos que nunca foram estudados antes. Trabalharemos do 14 de Janeiro até aproximadamente 5-10 de Fevereiro.
Alojamento, comida e transporte local serão fornecidos pelo projeto. Os custos da viagem poderão ser reembolsados.
Research Interests:
PORTUGAL Fieldwork Leiden University is starting a new fieldwork project in Portugal. In January 2018 we start with a winter field school, which forms part of a new collaboration between the Portuguese University of Évora and the Faculty... more
PORTUGAL Fieldwork
Leiden University is starting a new fieldwork project in Portugal. In January 2018 we start with a winter field school, which forms part of a new collaboration between the Portuguese University of Évora and the Faculty of Archaeology in Leiden. In this research project we aim to study the Iron Age and Roman period in the Alentejo, east of Lisbon, to allow wider comparisons with other areas in the Western Mediterranean. We will work with an international team from Leiden and Évora, as well as other international universities. We will be based in a study center with labs, lecture halls and accommodation and kitchen, which will be available all year through.
There are very good opportunities to develop BA/MA/PhD thesis topics here that can be explored further with study stays in Portugal.
Our field work in Winter 2018 will focus on an exploration of the area through field survey, remote sensing (drones, satellite data) and geophysics in a series of different sites, among which an Iron Age hill-fort and a series of early Roman sites.
We will work from January 14 to ca. February 10 (if you follow classes in block 3, your obligatory return date is January 28). Accommodation, food, and local transport are all provided by the project. Travel costs to Lisbon can be reimbursed up to €150.
Leiden University is starting a new fieldwork project in Portugal. In January 2018 we start with a winter field school, which forms part of a new collaboration between the Portuguese University of Évora and the Faculty of Archaeology in Leiden. In this research project we aim to study the Iron Age and Roman period in the Alentejo, east of Lisbon, to allow wider comparisons with other areas in the Western Mediterranean. We will work with an international team from Leiden and Évora, as well as other international universities. We will be based in a study center with labs, lecture halls and accommodation and kitchen, which will be available all year through.
There are very good opportunities to develop BA/MA/PhD thesis topics here that can be explored further with study stays in Portugal.
Our field work in Winter 2018 will focus on an exploration of the area through field survey, remote sensing (drones, satellite data) and geophysics in a series of different sites, among which an Iron Age hill-fort and a series of early Roman sites.
We will work from January 14 to ca. February 10 (if you follow classes in block 3, your obligatory return date is January 28). Accommodation, food, and local transport are all provided by the project. Travel costs to Lisbon can be reimbursed up to €150.
Research Interests:
The question how Rome won its empire is as old as the study of Roman history and continues to dominate modern scholarship. An important difficulty these studies encounter is that the available textual sources describe and explain Roman... more
The question how Rome won its empire is as old as the study of Roman history and continues to dominate modern scholarship. An important difficulty these studies encounter is that the available textual sources describe and explain Roman imperial success from hindsight, thus after Rome had defeated most of the Hellenistic states. As a consequence, the explanations these anachronistic sources offer are mostly teleological and Romano-centric. Instead, this course adopts a synchronic approach by analyzing the available material record of mid-Republican Rome as well as that of two of its most important rivals in Italy: the Etruscans and the Samnites. The course starts with two introductory lectures, after which the archaeology of Mid-Republican Rome will be analyzed on-site and in the various museums. Amongst other things, we will study Roman defensive works, military organization and technology, triumphal architecture, but also burial customs, housing and iconography. In the second week, Roman military and societal organization will be compared with that of the Etruscans and the Samnites. We will visit key-sites of these peoples, such as Veii, Cerveteri, Pietrabondante and Bovianum, as well as Roman colonial sites that were installed to control these regions after the conquest. Target Group Students in Classics, (Ancient) History, Archaeology, Political sciences enrolled in one of the KNIR partner universities (UvA, VU, UL, UU, RU and RUG), Italian and from UK universities.
Research Interests:
http://www.knir.it/nl/masterclass-early-roman-expansionism-and-imperialism-in-italy.html The Royal Dutch Institute at Rome, in collaboration with Leiden University, organizes a Masterclass for MA and PhD students on Early Roman... more
http://www.knir.it/nl/masterclass-early-roman-expansionism-and-imperialism-in-italy.html
The Royal Dutch Institute at Rome, in collaboration with Leiden University, organizes a Masterclass for MA and PhD students on Early Roman expansionism and imperialism in Rome, Etruria, and Samnium. 8-21 April 2015.
Target Group: Students in Classics, (Ancient) History, Archaeology, Political sciences enrolled in one of the Dutch universities.
The Royal Dutch Institute at Rome, in collaboration with Leiden University, organizes a Masterclass for MA and PhD students on Early Roman expansionism and imperialism in Rome, Etruria, and Samnium. 8-21 April 2015.
Target Group: Students in Classics, (Ancient) History, Archaeology, Political sciences enrolled in one of the Dutch universities.