Imperialism, Power, and Identity : : Experiencing the Roman Empire / / David J. Mattingly.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Princeton University Press Complete eBook-Package 2014-2015
• VerfasserIn: Mattingly, David J.,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2013]; ©2014
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Edition: With a New preface by the author
• Language: English
• Series: Miriam S. Balmuth Lectures in Ancient History and Archaeology
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (376 p.) :; 14 line illus. 15 tables. 17 maps.

Despite what history has taught us about imperialism's destructive effects on colonial societies, many classicists continue to emphasize disproportionately the civilizing and assimilative nature of the Roman Empire and to hold a generally favorable view of Rome's impact on its subject peoples. Imperialism, Power, and Identity boldly challenges this view using insights from postcolonial studies of modern empires to offer a more nuanced understanding of Roman imperialism. Rejecting outdated notions about Romanization, David Mattingly focuses instead on the concept of identity to reveal a Roman society made up of far-flung populations whose experience of empire varied enormously. He examines the nature of power in Rome and the means by which the Roman state exploited the natural, mercantile, and human resources within its frontiers. Mattingly draws on his own archaeological work in Britain, Jordan, and North Africa and covers a broad range of topics, including sexual relations and violence; census-taking and taxation; mining and pollution; land and labor; and art and iconography. He shows how the lives of those under Rome's dominion were challenged, enhanced, or destroyed by the empire's power, and in doing so he redefines the meaning and significance of Rome in today's debates about globalization, power, and empire. Imperialism, Power, and Identity advances a new agenda for classical studies, one that views Roman rule from the perspective of the ruled and not just the rulers. In a new preface, Mattingly reflects on some of the reactions prompted by the initial publication of the book.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Tables -- Foreword by R. Bruce Hitchner -- Preface: My Roman Empire -- Preface to the Paperback Edition -- Part One Imperialisms and Colonialisms -- 1. From Imperium to Imperialism: Writing the Roman Empire -- 2. From One Colonialism to Another: Imperialism and the Maghreb -- Part Two Power -- 3. Regime Change, Resistance, and Reconstruction: Imperialism Ancient and Modern -- 4. Power, Sex, and Empire -- Part Three Resources -- 5. Ruling Regions, Exploiting Resources -- 6. Landscapes of Imperialism. Africa: A Landscape of Opportunity? -- 7. Metals and Metalla: A Roman Copper-Mining Landscape in the Wadi Faynan, Jordan -- Part Four Identity -- 8. Identity and Discrepancy -- 9. Family Values: Art and Power at Ghirza in the Libyan Pre-desert -- Afterword: Empire Experienced -- References -- Index