This thesis undertakes a comparative study of Roman interactions with the Greeks of Italy, Sicily, and the Adriatic from the mid-fourth century to the First Illyrian War, set in their broader regional context. Chapter One outlines the methodological foundations of the thesis, critically assessing scholarship concerned with Romano-Greek relations, and with the extension of Roman power over the Greek world in particular. A number of historiographical trends are identified, which this chapter argues fUl:~€ contributed to the unjustified exclusion of the history of Roman interaction with the Western Greeks from studies of Romano-Greek relations more broadly. Chapters Two and Three analyse Rome's relationship with the Italiote Greeks from the mid-fourth century to the end of the Pyrrhic war, set in its regional context. The Roman approach towards the Italiote Greeks was substantially different to that pursued towards other Italian polities, being characterised by lenient treatment and the avoidance of coercive structures of control. This approach was further characterised by an engagement with the ideologically-constructed discourses of Hellenism and 'barbarism', and complemented by Roman appropriation of Greek practice in a number of official and semi-official spheres of action. These actions represented a conscious process of appropriation, and were driven in part by a similar engagement with Hellenism by Rome's other Italian interlocutors. These two elements facilitated the reconfiguration of the Romans' place in the Greeklbarbarian dichotomy, and helped to solicit the voluntary defection of the Italiote Greeks from the regionalltaliote koinon, led by Taras. That process culminated in the 270s with the Roman defeat of Tar as' last foreign general, Pyrrhus ofEpirus, an achievement itself substantially facilitated by Italiote defections to the Roman side. The Romans were able to subvert Pyrrhus' pro-Hellenic ideological message through a depiction of him as an external, foreign invader, in opposition to a united Italy under Roman protection. The Italiotes' terms in the post-war settlement reflect their privileged treatment at the hands of Rome during the preceding period. Chapters Four and Five discuss the Romans' subsequent actions in Sicily and the Adriatic, respectively. The Roman military intervention in both regions is shown to have been preceded by a period of increasing Roman participation in regional networks of trade and communication. The Romans' approach towards the Greeks of Sicily was less favourable than it had been in Italy, owing to local power dynamics and the implications of the Romans' actions in south Italy for their reception in Sicily. The Roman interactions with the Greeks of the Adriatic, however, followed a similar pattern to that which had been pursued in Italy. The thesis concludes by discussing the implications of its findings for an understanding of the development ofRomano-Greek relations in general, and canvasses their potential impact on analyses of Roman interaction with the 'Greek East' in the following period. 2
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:571610 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Casule, Nikola |
| Publisher | University of Oxford |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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