The study of the Roman army’s integration in the provincial system is a difficult terrain to deal... more The study of the Roman army’s integration in the provincial system is a difficult terrain to deal with. The first, obvious, limit concerns how the different civilizations reacted to assimilation into the Roman influence: The Romanization process was either embraced or imposed after the subjugation, causing different social responses depending on the cultural features of the defeated. Given these differences, it is important to deliberate on what role the Roman army had in the integration process of the Egyptian province. In fact, Roman soldiers represented the first embodiment of Roman culture outside the Italian peninsula, the first element the local population came in contact with in the aftermath of the conquest. Given this, it is interesting to investigate whether the legionaries were aware of their cultural ‘task’, or if they were only acting as the military representation of the occupying power. The cultural effects of this research are evident: the examination of the Roman perception by the local population has, in fact, ambivalent implications. Firstly, it requires a deep analysis of Roman ideology, namely how Roman elite justified their domination over so many different civilizations. Such a concept is nowadays defined as Roman Imperialism. This aspect can be extrapolated from ancient authors’ testimonies, though we need to keep in mind that the concept of Imperialism has modern, post-capitalist origins, and cannot be semantically detected in the Greco-Latin world. Once the Roman mind-set has been analysed, it is necessary to switch to the local population. The second part of our investigation will therefore be conducted by collecting a series of selected evidence ranging from epigraphic data to papyri. The common denominator of such sources is the perspective on everyday life that connected soldiers and civilians. The final aim is to present, with reasonable precision, how the scenario of reciprocal interactions formed the image of the Roman soldier deployed in the provinces.
The multi-century debate on Roman imperialism has, in recent years, taken a different and innova... more The multi-century debate on Roman imperialism has, in recent years, taken a different and innovative direction. In fact, some scholars have started to manifest the intention to overcome the rigid offensive/defensive dichotomy, with the ultimate aim of leading the debate to the next step. This new historiographical trend, which may be defined as a "third way", finds among its most illustrious exponents Eckstein and Woolf. Starting from the common assumption that the heavy bellicosity of Rome was not sufficient to justify the success of the city state, they have developed innovative thesis liberated from the previous irreconcilable academic positions.
Which was the relation between Roman legionaries and feminine world? Starting from this question ... more Which was the relation between Roman legionaries and feminine world? Starting from this question we will take a look of the perception of women among the soldiers.
Quali furono le reali responsabilità del generale romano durante la disastrosa campagna partica? ... more Quali furono le reali responsabilità del generale romano durante la disastrosa campagna partica? Questo testo cerca di dare una risposta completa a questa domanda, indagando le reali qualità belliche di Crasso e il suo entourage, ma anche le dinamiche esterne che contribuirono a realizzare la disfatta del 53 a.C.
The study of the Roman army’s integration in the provincial system is a difficult terrain to deal... more The study of the Roman army’s integration in the provincial system is a difficult terrain to deal with. The first, obvious, limit concerns how the different civilizations reacted to assimilation into the Roman influence: The Romanization process was either embraced or imposed after the subjugation, causing different social responses depending on the cultural features of the defeated. Given these differences, it is important to deliberate on what role the Roman army had in the integration process of the Egyptian province. In fact, Roman soldiers represented the first embodiment of Roman culture outside the Italian peninsula, the first element the local population came in contact with in the aftermath of the conquest. Given this, it is interesting to investigate whether the legionaries were aware of their cultural ‘task’, or if they were only acting as the military representation of the occupying power. The cultural effects of this research are evident: the examination of the Roman perception by the local population has, in fact, ambivalent implications. Firstly, it requires a deep analysis of Roman ideology, namely how Roman elite justified their domination over so many different civilizations. Such a concept is nowadays defined as Roman Imperialism. This aspect can be extrapolated from ancient authors’ testimonies, though we need to keep in mind that the concept of Imperialism has modern, post-capitalist origins, and cannot be semantically detected in the Greco-Latin world. Once the Roman mind-set has been analysed, it is necessary to switch to the local population. The second part of our investigation will therefore be conducted by collecting a series of selected evidence ranging from epigraphic data to papyri. The common denominator of such sources is the perspective on everyday life that connected soldiers and civilians. The final aim is to present, with reasonable precision, how the scenario of reciprocal interactions formed the image of the Roman soldier deployed in the provinces.
The multi-century debate on Roman imperialism has, in recent years, taken a different and innova... more The multi-century debate on Roman imperialism has, in recent years, taken a different and innovative direction. In fact, some scholars have started to manifest the intention to overcome the rigid offensive/defensive dichotomy, with the ultimate aim of leading the debate to the next step. This new historiographical trend, which may be defined as a "third way", finds among its most illustrious exponents Eckstein and Woolf. Starting from the common assumption that the heavy bellicosity of Rome was not sufficient to justify the success of the city state, they have developed innovative thesis liberated from the previous irreconcilable academic positions.
Which was the relation between Roman legionaries and feminine world? Starting from this question ... more Which was the relation between Roman legionaries and feminine world? Starting from this question we will take a look of the perception of women among the soldiers.
Quali furono le reali responsabilità del generale romano durante la disastrosa campagna partica? ... more Quali furono le reali responsabilità del generale romano durante la disastrosa campagna partica? Questo testo cerca di dare una risposta completa a questa domanda, indagando le reali qualità belliche di Crasso e il suo entourage, ma anche le dinamiche esterne che contribuirono a realizzare la disfatta del 53 a.C.
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Papers by Gianluca Ghio
Given these differences, it is important to deliberate on what role the Roman army had in the integration process of the Egyptian province. In fact, Roman soldiers represented the first embodiment of Roman culture outside the Italian peninsula, the first element the local population came in contact with in the aftermath of the conquest. Given this, it is interesting to investigate whether the legionaries were aware of their cultural ‘task’, or if they were only acting as the military representation of the occupying power.
The cultural effects of this research are evident: the examination of the Roman perception by the local population has, in fact, ambivalent implications. Firstly, it requires a deep analysis of Roman ideology, namely how Roman elite justified their domination over so many different civilizations. Such a concept is nowadays defined as Roman Imperialism. This aspect can be extrapolated from ancient authors’ testimonies, though we need to keep in mind that the concept of Imperialism has modern, post-capitalist origins, and cannot be semantically detected in the Greco-Latin world. Once the Roman mind-set has been analysed, it is necessary to switch to the local population. The second part of our investigation will therefore be conducted by collecting a series of selected evidence ranging from epigraphic data to papyri. The common denominator of such sources is the perspective on everyday life that connected soldiers and civilians. The final aim is to present, with reasonable precision, how the scenario of reciprocal interactions formed the image of the Roman soldier deployed in the provinces.
Given these differences, it is important to deliberate on what role the Roman army had in the integration process of the Egyptian province. In fact, Roman soldiers represented the first embodiment of Roman culture outside the Italian peninsula, the first element the local population came in contact with in the aftermath of the conquest. Given this, it is interesting to investigate whether the legionaries were aware of their cultural ‘task’, or if they were only acting as the military representation of the occupying power.
The cultural effects of this research are evident: the examination of the Roman perception by the local population has, in fact, ambivalent implications. Firstly, it requires a deep analysis of Roman ideology, namely how Roman elite justified their domination over so many different civilizations. Such a concept is nowadays defined as Roman Imperialism. This aspect can be extrapolated from ancient authors’ testimonies, though we need to keep in mind that the concept of Imperialism has modern, post-capitalist origins, and cannot be semantically detected in the Greco-Latin world. Once the Roman mind-set has been analysed, it is necessary to switch to the local population. The second part of our investigation will therefore be conducted by collecting a series of selected evidence ranging from epigraphic data to papyri. The common denominator of such sources is the perspective on everyday life that connected soldiers and civilians. The final aim is to present, with reasonable precision, how the scenario of reciprocal interactions formed the image of the Roman soldier deployed in the provinces.