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In the first volume in this new series on Roman society and law,
Saskia T. Roselaar traces the social and economic history of the
ager publicus, or public land. As the Romans conquered Italy during
the fourth to first centuries BC, they usually took land away from
their defeated enemies and declared this to be the property of the
Roman state. This land could be distributed to Roman citizens, but
it could also remain in the hands of the state, in which case it
was available for general public use. However, in the third and
second centuries BC growth in the population of Italy led to an
increased demand for land among both commercial producers and small
farmers. This in turn led to the gradual privatization of the
state-owned land, as those who held it wanted to safeguard their
rights to it. Roselaar traces the currents in Roman economy and
demography which led to these developments.
The Roman conquest of Italy in the Republican period (from c. 400
to 50 BC) led to widespread economic changes in which the conquered
Italians played an important role. Italy's Economic Revolution
analyses the integration of Italy during this period and explores
the interplay between economic activities and unification in its
civic, legal, social, and cultural senses. On one hand, it
investigates whether Italy became more integrated economically
following the Roman conquest and traces the widely varying local
reactions to the globalization of the Italian economy; on the
other, it examines whether and how economic activities carried out
by Italians contributed to the integration of the Italian peoples
into the Roman framework. Throughout the Republican period,
Italians were able to profit from the expansion of the Roman
dominion in the Mediterranean and the new economic opportunities it
afforded, which led to gradual changes in institutions, culture,
and language: through overseas trade and commercial agriculture
they had gained significant wealth, which they invested in the
Italian landscape, and they were often ahead of Romans when it came
to engagement with Hellenistic culture. However, their economic
prosperity and cultural sophistication did not lead to civic
equality, nor to equal opportunities to exploit the territories the
Italians had conquered under Rome's lead. Eventually the Italians
rose in rebellion against Rome in the Social War of 91-88 BC, after
which they were finally granted Roman citizenship. This volume
investigates not only whether and how economic interaction played a
role in this civic integration, but also highlights the importance
of Roman citizenship as an instrument of further economic,
political, social, and cultural integration between Romans and
Italians.
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(16)
R1,150
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Discovery Miles 8 870
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