Romanitas

Romanitasis the collection of political and cultural concepts and practices by which theRomansdefined themselves. It is aLatinword, first coined in the third century AD, meaning "Roman-ness" and has been used by modern historians as shorthand to refer to Roman identity andself-image.

Literal meaning and origin

Romanitasmeans, as a rough approximation,Roman-nessin Latin,^[1]although it has also been translated as "Romanism, the Roman way or manner".^[2]The term, not common in Roman sources,^[3]^{[note 1]}was first coined by the 3rd century Roman writerTertullian,anearly ChristianfromNorth Africa,in his workde Pallio(IV,1).^[5]Tertullian used the term pejoratively to refer to those in his nativeCarthagewho aped Roman culture.^[4]

Concepts behind literal meaning

Romanitasis used to refer to the collection of political and cultural concepts and practices defining what it is to be a Roman.^[5]A notable part of Roman cultural identity was based on being part of a political and religious community with common values, customs, morality and way of life.^[6]That made historians seek to defineromanitasusing a number of approaches: one way is to consider the general ideals Romans attributed to themselves; another approach, which has achieved consensus among scholars, is to consider the construction of Roman identity during the process of colonisation.^[7]However, not all scholars accept that the notion of identity, which is inherited from social sciences, is adequate to understand what is to be Roman.^[8]

It was not a word often used in ancient times, but it is used by modern writers to express the ideals which inspired the Roman State. It meant a great many things, but in short it meant what it was to be Roman (that is, Roman-ness). The Roman ideal was thecitizen/soldier/farmer.The farmer was a hard working, frugal, practical man who worked the land with his own hands. The soldier was a courageous, strong man whoobeyed ordersand risked his own life in the name of Rome. Prior to the formation, underGaius Marius,of the standing Roman Army, Rome had amilitia-type defence-force which could be called up in time ofwarand then disbanded duringpeacetime.The ideal of thehomo militaris– embodying the functions of the citizen, soldier and farmer – wasLucius Quinctius Cincinnatus.According to Roman legend, Cincinnatus was tending his farm when a messenger arrived, telling him that Rome was under attack and that he had been electeddictator.He was at first reluctant to go, but theSenatepleaded with him. He defeated the enemy tribe within a matter of weeks and, despite there remaining most of his six-month term as dictator with absolute power, returned to his farm.^{[citation needed]}

The attainment and possession of the virtue ofgravitaswas highly valued by Romans of the early Republic and by Roman intellectuals. Indeed,gravitaswas the single most clarifying characteristic of early republican Roman society.Polybiusremarks:^[9]

The Roman customs and principles regarding the acquisition of wealth are better than those of theCarthaginians.In the view of the latter nothing is disgraceful that makes for gain; with the former nothing is more disgraceful than to receive bribes and to make profit by improper means. For they regard wealth obtained from unlawful transactions to be as much a subject of reproach as a fair profit from reputable sources is of commendation. A proof of the fact is this: the Carthaginians obtain office by open bribery, but among the Romans the penalty is death.

The virtuous character of the Romans, their honesty and trustworthiness, is shown in the way they handled their finances.Polybiusremarks: "Greek statesmen, if entrusted with a single talent, though protected by ten checking-clerks, as many seals and twice as many witnesses, yet cannot be induced to keep faith; whereas among the Romans, in their magistracies and embassies, men have the handling of a great amount of money, and yet from pure respect for their oath keep their faith intact."^[9]

Their cultural characteristics led to their development of "self government" by adopting aclassical republicand thus this class formed the backbone of theRoman Republic.

Because of the widespread influence of Romanclassical literature,the idea of the homo militaris also took root incolonialand earlyUnited States.^{[citation needed]}

Notes

^It is not found in theOxford Latin Dictionary,which is the standardClassical Latinlexicon derived from Latin sources dated earlier than 200 A.D.^[4]

References

^Merrills, Andrew; Miles, Richard (2010).The Vandals (The Peoples of Europe).p. 88.ISBN 978-1405160681.Retrieved12 June2012.
^Gazda, Elaine K. (2002).The Ancient Art of Emulation: Studies in Artistic Originality and Tradition from the Present to Classical Antiquity.p. 4.ISBN 978-0472111893.Retrieved13 June2012.
^Fouracre, Paul (2005).The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 1, c.500-c.700.p. 40.ISBN 978-0521362917.Retrieved13 June2012.
^^a ^bWinter, Bruce W. (2003).Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities.p. 5, note 11.ISBN 978-0802849717.Retrieved12 June2012.
^^a ^bGreen, Bernard (2010).Christianity in Rome in the First Three Centuries.p. 129.ISBN 978-0567032508.Retrieved12 June2012.
^Woolf, Greg (2000).Becoming Roman: The Origins of Provincial Civilization in Gaul.p. 120.ISBN 978-0521789820.
^Wilhite, David E. (2007).Tertullian the African: An Anthropological Reading of Tertullian's Context and Identities.p. 42.ISBN 978-3110194531.Retrieved13 June2012.
^SILVA, A. J. M. 2012, From lost Roman pottery to broken identities in Post-modern times: on the use of the concept of identity in Roman Archaeology, 28th Congress of the Rei Cretariae Romanae Fautores, Catania.https:// academia.edu/1994803/From_lost_Roman_pottery_to_broken_identities_in_Post-modern_times_on_the_use_of_the_concept_of_identity_in_Roman_Archaeology
^^a ^bPolibius, Histories 6.56http:// gutenberg.org/files/44125/44125-h/44125-h.htm#b6_56

Bibliography

Charles Norris Cochrane,Christianity and Classical Culture; A Study of Thought and Action FromAugustustoAugustine,Oxford University Press,NY(1st pub.Clarendon Press,1940) 1980. p. 62
M. I. Finley(ed.),The Portable Greek Historians: The Essence ofHerodotus,Thucydides,Xenophon,Polybius,The Viking Press,NY, NY, 1959. Bk VI, sec 56; p. 499
Erich S. Gruen,Culture and National Identity in Republican Rome,Cornell University Press,1992.
Edith Hamilton,The Roman Way,W.W. Norton & Co.,NY.1st print 1932,Norton1964,1993.

Literal meaning and origin

Concepts behind literal meaning

Notes

References

Bibliography

Further reading