Roman Imperialism

1. Roman Imperialism An Introduction

2. Course Objectives • To further ability to conduct large, independent research projects • To have a firm grasp of the basic outline of Roman history • To understand major issues in the study of imperialism • To be able to define imperialism in your own language • To develop a genuine interest in problems in Roman history

3. Some Modern Assessmentsand Characterizationsof the Roman Empire

4. M. Cary and H.H. Scullard, A History of Rome “European culture is in the main a new graft upon the old Graeco-Roman stock, and Rome was the principal channel through which the modern world has entered upon the heritage of the ancient. If ‘all roads lead to Rome’ they also lead out again from Rome. For those who have learnt to think beyond yesterday, Rome is the focusing point of the world’s history.”

5. Amy Richlin, “Not Before Homosexuality: The Materiality of the Cinaedus and the Roman Law against Love between Men,” Journal of the History of Sexuality [3 (1993)] “The Roman projection of Rome as a male fucking the rest of the world is too large and depressing a topic to go into here. This is not something Juvenal made up; he is drawing on a tradition that goes back at least to the time of Lucilius…and, I would argue, is probably intrinsic to Roman cultural identity.”

6. Overview of Roman History • Prehistoric Italy: ca. 1800-753 BCE • Republican Rome: 509-31 BCE • Early: 509-264 BCE-Patricians and Plebeians, Struggle of Orders • Middle: 264-133 BCE-Carthage and Overseas Expansion • Late: 133-31 BCE-External and Internal Crises, Civil War • Principate: 31 BCE-CE 284 • Early: 31 BCE-CE 96-Julio-Claudians, Flavians, Domitian • High: CE 96-CE 180-Five Good Emperors, Commodus • Late: CE 180-CE 284-Military and Economic Crises • Dominate (Later Empire): CE 284-395? 410? 476? 1453? • Diocletian, Constantine, Alaric, RomulusAugustulus

7. The Provinces in the Period of the Principate

9. Questions on Roman Imperialism • The Roman administration of empire and the levels of control of subjected peoples • Imperial policies of exclusion and inclusion • Center and periphery and the creation of a common Roman culture • “Romanization” and its impetus

10. Peter Garnsey and Richard Saller, The Roman Empire: Economy, Society, and Culture “The aims of government remained limited to the enforcement of law and order and the raising of revenues for the support of the capital city, court, administration, and army.”

11. Evidence for Commerce in the Roman Empire

12. Shipwrecks in the Western Mediterraneanfrom Cornell and Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World

13. Shipwrecks in the Western Mediterraneanfrom Cornell and Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World

14. Some Economic Considerations of Roman Imperialism

15. Roman Pottery Finds in the 3rd Century BCfrom Cornell and Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World

16. The High Empire: Campanian Ware in Gaulfrom Woolf, Becoming Roman

17. Distribution of terra sigillata produced in Central Gaulfrom Woolf, Becoming Roman

18. Production Sites of terra sigillata in Gaul and Germanyfrom Woolf, Becoming Roman

19. “Romanization” as a World ofCities: Urbanization in the Roman Empire

20. An Urban Network in Roman Gaulfrom Woolf, Becoming Roman

21. Grid Plan of Roman Colony at Florence

22. Ruins of North African Aqueduct

24. “Romanization” as Acculturation:The Amphitheater and the Baths

25. Amphitheater at El-Djem (Africa)

26. AmphitheateratNimes(France)

27. Roman Aqueduct at Segovia (Spain)

28. Aqueductover theRiver Gard

29. Three Important Thinkers on Roman Imperialism

30. J.A. Hobson, Imperialism: A Study “This is the largest, plainest instance history presents of the social parasitic process by which a moneyed interest within the State, usurping the reins of government, makes for imperial expansion in order to fasten economic suckers into foreign bodies so as to drain them of their wealth in order to support domestic luxury”

31. V.I. Lenin, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism “Rome, founded on slavery, pursued a colonial policy and achieved imperialism. But…[e]ven the colonial policy of capitalism in its previous stages is essentially different from the colonial policy of finance capital.”

32. J.A. Schumpeter, Imperialism and Social Classes “We must bear in mind…that the policy of the Empire was directed only toward its preservation and…was not imperialist by our definition….Most of the emperors tried to solve the problem by concessions and appeasement. But from the Punic Wars to Augustus there was undoubtedly an imperialist period, a time of unbounded will to conquest.”

33. Imperialism: What Is It?

34. Some Definitions • Oxford Latin Dictionary s.v. imperium: “The supreme administrative power, in Rome exercised at first by the kings, and subsequently by certain magistrates and provincial governors.” • Webster’s Universal College Dictionary s.v. imperialism: “the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.”

35. Imperialism According to J.A. Hobson “It is the debasement of…genuine nationalism, by attempts to overflow its natural banks and absorb the near or distant territory of reluctant and unassimilable peoples, that marks the passage from nationalism to a spurious colonialism on the one hand, and Imperialism on the other.”

36. Imperialism According to Karl Kautsky “Imperialism is a product of a highly developed industrial capitalism. It consists in the striving of every industrial capitalist nation to bring under its control and to annex increasing big agrarian regions irrespective of what nations inhabit those regions.”

37. Imperialism According to V.I. Lenin “Imperialism has emerged as the development and direct continuation of the fundamental attributes of capitalism in general.” “If it were necessary to give the briefest possible definition of imperialism we should have to say that imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism.”

38. Lenin’s Essential Features of Imperialism • Concentration of production and capital leading to economic monopolies • Bank capital merges with industrial capital, leading to a “financial oligarchy” • Export of capital, as opposed to commodities • Formation of international capitalist monopolies sharing the world amongst themselves • Territorial division of the world among the greatest capitalistic powers

39. More Lenin on Imperialism and Capitalism “Imperialism is capitalism in that stage of development in which the dominance of monopolies and finance capital has established itself; in which the export of capital has acquired pronounced importance; in which the division of the world among the international trusts has begun; in which the division of all territories of the globe among the great capitalist powers has been completed.”

40. Imperialism According to J.A. Schumpeter “This…is our definition: imperialism is the objectless disposition on the part of a state to unlimited forcible expansion.”

41. Readings for Next Meeting • J.A. Hobson, Imperialism: A Study, 15-93 • V.I. Lenin, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism, 16-67 • J.A. Schumpeter, Imperialism and Social Classes, 3-130

42. Assignments for Next Meeting • Individual Report on Hobson • Individual Report on Lenin • Individual Report on Schumpeter • Reports should run approximately 15 minutes

43. Questions for Readings • How do the ideas on imperialism of Hobson, Lenin, and Schumpeter differ? On what points, if any, are they in agreement? • What is the relationship of capitalism and imperialism in the theories of these three thinkers? • How might we apply these ideas to the study of Roman imperialism? What features of these theories might be anachronistic, and therefore of little help in the study of Roman imperialism?