Architecture in Ancient Central Italy

Architecture in Ancient Central Italy
Author: Charlotte R. Potts
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2022-04-07
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1108845282

Reconnects ancient buildings with the people who made them, with their surroundings, and with practices in other times and cultures.

The Roman Conquest of Italy

The Roman Conquest of Italy
Author: Jean-Michel David
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Total Pages: 232
Release: 1997
Genre: History
ISBN:

The book opens with a description of the peoples of Italy at around the end of the fourth century B.C. It describes the early success of Roman diplomacy and force in creating client populations among the Etruscans, the Latins and the Hellenized populations of the south. At the beginning of the period the Italian peoples sought to preserve their independence and ethnic traditions. By its end those who had not achieved Roman citizenship were demanding it.

Malaria and Rome

Malaria and Rome
Author: Robert Sallares
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2002-09-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199248508

Malaria and Rome is the first comprehensive study of malaria in ancient Italy since the research of the distinguished Italian malariologist Angelo Celli in the early twentieth century. It demonstrates the importance of disease patterns and history in understanding the demography of ancient populations. Robert Sallares argues that malaria became increasingly prevalent in Roman times in central Italy as a result of ecological change and alterations to the physical landscapesuch as deforestation. Making full use of contemporary sources and comparative material from other periods, he shows that malaria had a significant effect on mortality rates in certain regions of Roman Italy.Robert Sallares incorporates all the important advances made in many relevant fields since Celli's time. These include recent geomorphological research on the evolution of the coastal environments of Italy that were notorious for malaria in the past, biomolecular research on the evolution of malaria, ancient DNA as a new source of evidence for malaria in antiquity, the differentiation of mosquito species that permits understanding of the phenomenon of anophelism without malaria (where theclimate is optimal for malaria and Anopheles mosquitoes are present, but there is no malaria), and recent medical research on the interactions between malaria and other diseases.The argument develops with a careful interplay between the modern microbiology of the disease and the Greek and Latin literary texts. Both contemporary sources and comparative material from other periods are used to interpret the ancient sources. In addition to the medical and demographic effects on the Roman population, Malaria and Rome considers the social and economic effects of malaria, for example on settlement patterns and on agricultural systems. Robert Sallares also examinesthe varied human responses to and interpretations of malaria in antiquity, ranging from the attempts at rational understanding made by the Hippocratic authors and Galen to the demons described in the magical papyri.

The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy

The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy
Author: Ivo Van der Graaff
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2018-09-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 0429868405

The fortifications of Pompeii stand as the ancient city’s largest, oldest, and best preserved public monument. Over its 700-year history, Pompeii invested significant amounts of money, resources, and labor into (re)building, maintaining, and upgrading the walls. Each intervention on the fortifications marked a pivotal event of social and political change, signaling dramatic shifts in Pompeii’s urban, social, and architectural framework. Although the defenses had a clear military role, their design, construction materials, and aesthetics reflect the political, social, and urban development of the city. Their fate was intertwined with that of Pompeii. This study redefines Pompeii’s fortifications as a central monument that physically and symbolically shaped the city. It considers the internal and external forces that morphed their appearance and traces how the fortifications served to foster a sense of community. The city wall emerges as a dynamic, ideologically freighted monument that was fundamental to the image and identity of Pompeii. The book is a unique narrative of the social and urban development of the city from foundation to the eruption of Vesuvius, through the lens of the public building most critical to its independence and survival.

Migration, Mobility and Place in Ancient Italy

Migration, Mobility and Place in Ancient Italy
Author: Elena Isayev
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 553
Release: 2017-08-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108240542

Migration, Mobility and Place in Ancient Italy challenges prevailing conceptions of a natural tie to the land and a demographically settled world. It argues that much human mobility in the last millennium BC was ongoing and cyclical. In particular, outside the military context 'the foreigner in our midst' was not regarded as a problem. Boundaries of status rather than of geopolitics were those difficult to cross. The book discusses the stories of individuals and migrant groups, traders, refugees, expulsions, the founding and demolition of sites, and the political processes that could both encourage and discourage the transfer of people from one place to another. In so doing it highlights moments of change in the concepts of mobility and the definitions of those on the move. By providing the long view from history, it exposes how fleeting are the conventions that take shape here and now.

Becoming Roman?

Becoming Roman?
Author: Ralph Haeussler
Publisher: Left Coast Press
Total Pages: 387
Release: 2013-08-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 1611321883

Few empires had such an impact on the conquered peoples as did the Roman empire, creating social, economic, and cultural changes that erased long-standing differences in material culture, languages, cults, rituals and identities. But even Rome could not create a single unified culture. Individual decisions introduced changes in material culture, identity, and behavior, creating local cultures within the global world of the Roman empire that were neither Roman nor native. The author uses Northwest Italy as an exemplary case as it went from a marginal zone to one of the most flourishing and strongly urbanized regions of Italy, while developing a unique regional culture. This volume will appeal to researchers interested in the Roman Empire, as well as those interested in individual and cultural identity in the past.

Textile Production in Pre-Roman Italy

Textile Production in Pre-Roman Italy
Author: Margarita Gleba
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2008-11-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782976035

Older than both ceramics and metallurgy, textile production is a technology which reveals much about prehistoric social and economic development. This book examines the archaeological evidence for textile production in Italy from the transition between the Bronze Age and Early Iron Ages until the Roman expansion (1000-400 BCE), and sheds light on both the process of technological development and the emergence of large urban centres with specialised crafts. Margarita Gleba begins with an overview of the prehistoric Appennine peninsula, which featured cultures such as the Villanovans and the Etruscans, and was connected through colonisation and trade with the other parts of the Mediterranean. She then focuses on the textiles themselves: their appearance in written and iconographic sources, the fibres and dyes employed, how they were produced and what they were used for: we learn, for instance, of the linen used in sails and rigging on Etruscan ships, and of the complex looms needed to produce twill. Featuring a comprehensive analysis of textiles remains and textile tools from the period, the book recovers information about funerary ritual, the sexual differentiation of labour (the spinners and weavers were usually women) and the important role the exchange of luxury textiles played in the emergence of an elite. Textile production played a part in ancient Italian society's change from an egalitarian to an aristocratic social structure, and in the emergence of complex urban communities.

Constructions of Childhood in Ancient Greece and Italy

Constructions of Childhood in Ancient Greece and Italy
Author: Ada Cohen
Publisher: ASCSA
Total Pages: 421
Release: 2007
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 0876615418

This volume contains 20 papers that explore ancient notions and experiences of childhood around the Mediterranean, from prehistory to late antiquity.

Armies of Ancient Italy, 753–218 BC

Armies of Ancient Italy, 753–218 BC
Author: Gabriele Esposito
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2021-01-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526751860

A military history of ancient Italy, featuring details of the weapons, equipment, and tactics, as well as color photos showing how warriors looked. Before becoming the masters of the Mediterranean world, the Romans had first to conquer the Italian peninsula in a series of harsh conflicts against its other varied and warlike residents. The outcome was no foregone conclusion and it took the Romans half a millennium to secure the whole of Italy. In Armies of Ancient Italy 753–218 BC, Gabriele Esposito presents the armies that fought these wars, in which the Roman military spirit and their famous legions were forged. He not only follows the evolution of the Roman forces from the Regal Period to the outbreak of the Second Punic War but also the forces of their neighbors, rivals and enemies. The most notable of these, the Etruscans, Samnites and the Italian Greeks are given particular attention but others, such as the Celts and Ligures of the North and the warriors of Sicily and Sardinia, are also considered. Details of the organization, weapons, equipment and tactics of each army are described, while dozens of beautiful color photos of reenactors show how these warriors looked in the field. “Once more, a beautifully illustrated book, this time starting with the story of Rome from the Regal Period to the Second Punic War. The author follows the highly successful format of his books covering the late period of the Roman Empire.—Most Highly Recommended.” —Firetrench “An interesting look at all the people of the Italian era, but what really brings it to life are the countless full colour photographs of re-enactor groups in the correct armour and dress for the various tribes and regions they represent. Excellent production standards and a fascinating look at the history of early Rome.” —The Armourer