This volume, based on a workshop held in Seville in 2021, aims to bring ‘together different approaches, reflections, sources and some fascinating examples’ and thus ‘contribute to a better understanding of integration in the Roman world’ (9). It starts with an introduction by the editors, explaining that older terms such as ‘Romanization’ focus too much on Roman influence on conquered peoples, ignoring the agency of those who became part of the Roman state. They argue that the term ‘integration’ is more neutral, as it offers opportunities to explore ‘informal ways of including diversity’, that is, ‘ways not supported or promoted by the Roman authorities by which features or groups alien to the Roman identity found their way into the Roman political, social, economic or religious sphere’ (3). The editors see integration mainly as the creation of a ‘common context’, involving a degree of ‘cultural homogenisation’ that was recognised by people as ‘being Roman’ (3).
It’s odd that the first theoretical paper, by Frits Naerebout, rejects the use of the term ‘integration’, as, he states, it implies the creation of a single, homogeneous whole out of several different entities. He argues that in modern discourse integration is seen as a process that leads to assimilation. Instead, he proposes the use of the term ‘acculturation’, as it emphasises the existence side by side of several cultures, with people retaining their own cultural background while also acquiring elements of other cultures. While Naerebout raises some interesting points, the debate about integration in the Roman world is in fact extremely nuanced; no scholar uses it simply to mean the assimilation of different cultures into a ‘Roman’ whole. It is strange, furthermore, that Naerebout’s objections to the term ‘integration’ are not addressed by the other contributors to the volume or by the editors. In any case, it is clear that all contributors are aware of the nuances of the processes of integration in the Roman period, and do not use it in the simplistic way Naerebout describes.
The following paper, by Alberto Marina Castillo, offers further theoretical insights into integration. Importantly, he emphasises that the general laissez-faire attitude of the Roman state did not mean tolerance; the subjugated peoples were not integrated on an equal footing.
The second part of the volume focuses on ‘non-elite and local processes of integration’. First, Rose MacLean discusses inscriptions by enslaved and freed people who recorded their natio. She argues that only those in a privileged position recorded their origins, as some nationes brought a certain standing, thus ‘subvert[ing] biographical frameworks defined by the ideology of slavery’ (61). At the same time, enslavement was an entry point into citizenship, and thus a vehicle for integration. Cristina Rosillo-López investigates how peregrini used the census to gain Roman citizenship fraudulently. This raises the question whether integration was complete when someone was registered as a citizen, or whether citizenship had to be performed as well; and whether such performances, such as making a will, were possible without being registered in the census.
Next, Francisco Pina Polo discusses Italic immigrants in Hispania in the Republican period. He traces the spread of Latin throughout Hispania; as he points out, the immigrants exclusively used Latin in inscriptions, even if it was not their native language. He argues that the political and cultural dominance of these groups showed that integration could ‘only take place in one direction: towards the Roman side’ (99). Louise Revell investigates the integration of non-elite groups in the Iberian peninsula. Integration took place at several levels: the individual, for example through trade with other inhabitants of the Empire; the local, through participation in civic affairs such as voting, banquets and sacrifices; the regional, through regional politics and festivals; and the imperial, by following colonial charters created according to a universal model.
The third section is titled ‘Integration of diversity in the social and cultural spheres’ and starts with an article by Carmen Alarcón Hernández. She focuses on communal banquets in the Iberian peninsula, specifically the role of women as sponsors. Often, their feasts celebrated male family members holding local office; thus, the women heightened their family’s standing. Rocío Gordillo Hervás studies Greek-style games as a means of integration in the empire. The Capitoline Games in Rome brought together people from all over the Empire, who then travelled elsewhere to testify to the grandeur of the capital. Thus, these games helped to promote Roman interests throughout the Empire.
The wide range of this section, both in subjects and geographical areas covered, is shown by Rosario Moreno Soldevila’s paper on integration in the works of Martial and Pliny the Younger (actually mostly Martial). Martial displays several literary personas with different attitudes towards integration: on the one hand, he is proud that the Empire unites people from all over the world; on the other, he points out that many immigrants to Rome lived in poverty. Pliny is more positive, arguing that the many cultures under the Empire’s rule increased its maiestas.
Juan R. Ballesteros’ article on madness as a form of marginality moves beyond the topic of integration in the strict sense. He argues that Apuleius’ depiction of the Isis cult shows how ‘foreign’ cults and their followers could become part of Roman culture. However, the Christians embraced their madness, as the marginalised were loved by God, and therefore desired no integration. The fourth section, ‘Integration in the religious sphere’ starts with an article by Fernando Lozano Gómez. He discusses the integration of Roman emperors into local pantheons of the Greek East, showing that the Eastern towns displayed great variety in their veneration of the Emperors; in this way, the towns articulated their own specific place in the Empire. Elena Muñiz-Grijalvo discusses the alleged Egyptian origin of Roman processions. Their alleged foreign background gave these rituals a venerable ancient status, especially in Late Antiquity, when pagan cults were under threat. Finally, Mirella Romero Recio discusses votive offerings given by sailors throughout history. In many cultures and times, such donations were considered a sound risk management strategy.
The volume only partially succeeds in its stated aim. As is the case with many conference volumes, the individual contributions are very interesting, but the book does not form a coherent whole. While it is titled ‘understanding integration’, the volume covers a very wide variety of topics, spanning a wide range of periods (from the Republic to Late Antiquity and beyond) and regions (with a focus on the Iberian peninsula). Furthermore, it offers contradictory views on the term ‘integration’, which causes confusion rather than understanding. It would have been helpful if the volume had closed with a general conclusion, addressing the objections raised in Naerebout’s paper, and bringing together the common aspects of integration that can be distilled from its wide range of papers. It is clear that integration occurred in virtually all aspects of cultural and religious life; other aspects of life are covered in other volumes in the ‘Impact of Empire’ series. In the absence of more suitable terms, it is still the best lens to view what happened in the Roman era. However, this volume is not the best starting point for those who wish to gain a better understanding of integration in the Roman world.
