Rome's Cultural Revolution

by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill

The period of Rome's imperial expansion, the late Republic and early Empire, saw transformations of its society, culture and identity. Drawing equally on archaeological and literary evidence, this book offers an original and provocative interpretation of these changes. Moving from recent debates about colonialism and cultural identity, both in the Roman world and more broadly, and challenging the traditional picture of 'Romanization' and 'Hellenization', it offers instead a model of overlapping cultural identities in dialogue with one another. It attributes a central role to cultural change in the process of redefinition of Roman identity, represented politically by the crisis of the Republican system and the establishment of the new Augustan order. Whether or not it is right to see these changes as 'revolutionary', they involve a profound transformation of Roman life and identity, one that lies at the heart of understanding the nature of the Roman Empire.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Classics, Classical Studies, Roman History, Ancient History

526 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Vicki Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very scholarly book about the effect on Roman culture of the expansion in the East, bringing Hellenic culture to Rome, where it was absorbed and changed, and then was sent out into the rest of the empire. It was actually a bit too dry for me, but there were some interesting parts. There is a lot of detail about architecture, city maps, couch designs, metal vs. clay lamps, and other everyday items.