Globalizing Roman Culture

by Richard Hingley

Richard Hingley here asks the What is Romanization? Was Rome the first global culture?

Romanization has been represented as a simple progression from barbarism to civilization. Roman forms in architecture, coinage, language and literature came to dominate the world from Britain to Syria. Hingley argues for a more complex and nuanced view in which Roman models provided the means for provincial elites to articulate their own concerns. Inhabitants of the Roman provinces were able to develop identities they never knew they had until Rome gave them the language to express them.

Hingley draws together the threads of diverse and separate study, in one sophisticated theoretical framework that spans the whole Roman Empire. Students of Rome and those with an interest in classical cultural studies will find this an invaluable mine of information.

Genres: Archaeology

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Richard Hingley is Professor in Roman Archaeology at the University of Durham.

Reviews

[Jonathan Cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hingley's book is a carefully argued piece of work. For me, it was only ok because it would have benefitted a great deal had it brought more of the contemporary literature on globalization to bear on the topic. I see that the author is a classical archaeology specialist; this is evident in the author's approach to the subject. The book would have been more provocative if the author had used a more complex theoretical framework to explore its subject.

[Hannah Trower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, important to push back on the idea that Roman cultural diffusion only worked in one direction. This book complicates that previous overly-simplistic narrative. The beginning of a discussion, more research and analysis to be done here, but it's a start. Read for class.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful for reconsidering what one means by "Romanization" and "Roman Culture." Good bibliography.