Mediterranean Trade as a Mechanism of Integration between . Romans and Italians

Datos Bibliográficos

ID20064783
AutoresSaskia T Roselaar (autor de correspondencia)
Año2012
Páginas141-158
Fecha de publicación2012-01-01
Open AccessNo
TipoCHAPTER
RevistaProcesses of Integration and Identity Formation in the Roman Republic (SOURCE_BOOK)
EditorialBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/9789004229600_010
OpenAlexW2479252967
ISBN9789004229600
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas18

The Romans often used maltreatment of allies for their own political gain: an attack on an ally was an attack on Rome, and had to be answered appropriately. This chapter reviews the motivations for Roman support of Italian allies with regard to overseas trade. Some scholars argue that the sufferings of the Italian merchants were not sufficient to call the Roman Senate into action; Polybius indeed states that Italian demands had long been ignored. The Senate is described as acting on the instigation of the Roman people, rather than that of the Italians. The increasing importance of all allies in Roman economic and foreign policy was conducive to integration in a general sense. Later, the allies became increasingly dissatisfied with the legal position as non-citizens in the Roman state, which eventually led to the demand for citizenship. Keywords:economic policy; foreign policy; Italian allies; Italians; Mediterranean trade; Polybius; Romans

Archaeology · Economic geography · Epistemology · Geography · Mediterranean climate · Classical Antiquity Studies · Philosophy