IN THE SHADOW OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE: CONTACT, INFLUENCE AND CHANGE OUTSIDE THE ROMAN LIMES
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2020-11-28

Roman conquest clearly had a tremendous influence on the peoples that were incorporated into the Roman Empire. But the proximity of this expansive colonial regime must also have had an enormous impact on indigenous societies in frontier regions or beyond Imperial boundaries, particularly those with less hierarchical social structures and without standing armies. Roman power and culture undoubtedly aroused curiosity and fascination but also fear and aversion, sometimes resulting in more or less successful resistance. Discussion and research on changes that occurred in these societies during the Roman period have long been dominated by the perspective of Rome. Roman authors were consequently taken as reliable and unbiased primary sources of information with Roman colonial discourse emphasising the warlike attitude of ‘barbarians’ and the benefits of the Pax Romana uncritically adopted by academics without the application of modern theoretical constructs. In this session we consider the indigenous populations who came into contact with the Romans and focus on evidence from archaeological rather than historical sources. What can we learn from material culture about the processes that occurred outside the Roman Empire or in frontier contexts? How was indigenous material culture influenced by Roman material culture or vice versa? Can we identify social, cultural or material changes resulting from contact with the Roman Empire? What was the character of these contacts and how can we explore alternative perspectives in cultural contact contexts? We invite papers that explore and discuss these and similar questions.


Organisers: Nieuwhof, Annet (University of Groningen) - Kegler, Jan (Ostfriesische Landschaft, Aurich) - Campbell, Louisa (University
of Glasgow)