Research Hub: Debating Early Rome

Project description: Debating Early Rome

Research on early Rome has seen a flurry of activity and new debates emerge in the last decade. Much of this movement has been propelled by impressive advances and new finds in the field of archaeology. This material has not only enriched our knowledge and understanding of early Rome and its wider Central Italian and Mediterranean context but has also fuelled further discussions on the political and social nature of Roman society. In contrast to the earlier emphasis on the city-state model, recent research has instead stressed the high mobility and influence of powerful elites.

The modern discussion around early Rome is inexorably intertwined with methodological questions, and particularly how to marry together the ever-increasing archaeological evidence with the problematic literary sources. Interestingly, the different positions on this matter frequently follow faultlines of language and academic cultures, with some favouring a ‘literature-first’ approach and others defaulting to archaeology, thus hampering attempts at engaging in a joint discussion. Increasingly, although part of the same international discipline, we seem to be speaking different languages – both figuratively and literally.

The recent (pandemic-driven) increase in the number and acceptance of online events provides an opportunity to address this issue. Based on a fruitful international collaborations between universities in Switzerland, New Zealand, and Germany, the talk series “Debating Early Rome” will discuss central issues and recent trends of the early Roman Republic. It will also include methodological debates regarding the available body of evidence in order to explore how the material and philological evidence can be understood as two very different sets of data with their own respective strengths and weaknesses as suggested by Attema. Starting in the summer semester 2021 the series will host five sessions featuring position papers, presentations and ample room for discussion. The first three meetings will focus on the nature of the early Roman state, elites and early Roman citizenship. Each of these sessions will consist of three 10-minute position papers outlining different aspects and approaches which will form the basis for the general discussion. The fourth session will feature a report on the recent excavations on the Capitoline Hill by the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut in Rom followed by a final panel discussion.

A central objective of this project is to bring together different perspectives, approaches and academic cultures on early Rome in a joint group to broaden the discussion and mutual exchange on this fascinating period.

Program: Summer Semester 2022

Session 1:

“Urbanism in Context”, Wednesday 16 March, 8pm CET
Speaker:
Manuel Fernández-Götz (University of Edinburgh): “Not built in one way: Alternative views on early urbanism in Italy and beyond“Respondents:
Respondents:
Sheira Cohen (University of Michigan) & Dominik Maschek (University of Oxford)

Session 2:

“Religion as a Structuring Principle”, Wednesday 13 April, 8pm CET
Speakers:
Charlotte Potts (University of Oxford)
Maik Patzelt (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg)

Session 3:

“Earlier scholarship and new challenges I”, Wednesday 11 May, 8pm CET
Speakers:
Nicola Terrenato (University of Michigan)
Sylvie Pittia (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)

Session 4:

“Earlier Scholarship and new challenges II”, Wednesday 8 June, 8pm CET
Speakers:
Tim Cornell (University of Manchester)
Dan-El Padilla-Peralta (Princeton University)
Hans Beck (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster)

Program: Winter Semester 2021/22

We are delighted to announce the second round of the "Debating Early Rome" online discussion sessions.

Following on from the previous series’ vibrant exchange, we are looking to delve into a bit more depth on four key topics/themes. These include the development of the city of Rome, whose infrastructure and central places were identified as being of the utmost importance when dealing with the question of the cohesion and institutional depth of the Roman community. Additionally, we will look to discuss how Romans moved, behaved, and engaged within a wider context, with discussions on Rome in her Central Italian context, ‘international’ relations, and finally Roman economies – hopefully building upon, and expanding, many aspects of the conversation which emerged in the first set of discussions.

As with the first series, these sessions will consist of three 10-minute ‘position papers’ on the different topics, which will form the basis for the general discussion. Sessions will be kept to a maximum of 75min in total. The last session, on 15 December, will feature a general discussion of the various points raised during the series.

20 October 8pm CET “Monumental and Religious Landscape of the City of Rome”. Chair: Sheira Cohen (University of Michigan)

• John Hopkins (New York University)
• Dominik Maschek (University of Oxford)
• Andrea Brock (University of St Andrews)

3 November 8pm CET “Rome and Central Italy”. Chair: Roman Roth (University of Cape Town)

• Lisa Goetz (Universität Augsburg)
• Stéphane Bourdin (Université Lumière Lyon 2)
• Marion Bolder-Boos (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz)

17 November 8pm CET “International Relations”. Chair: Guy Bradley (Cardiff University)

• Marie Foellen (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
• Marian Helm (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster)
• Parrish Wright (University of South Carolina)

1 December 8pm CET “Roman Economies”. Chair: Marleen Termeer (Radboud Universiteit)

• Michael Taylor (SUNY: University at Albany)
• Saskia Roselaar (independent)
• Sheira Cohen (University of Michigan)

15 December 8pm CET, Final Discussion.

Program: Summer Semester 2021

The first three meetings will focus on the nature of the early Roman state, elites and early Roman citizenship. These sessions will consist of 10-minute position papers outlining different aspects and approaches which will form the basis for the general discussion. The fourth session will feature a report on the recent excavations on the Capitoline Hill. A panel discussion will conclude the first semester of the series.

Session 1:

“The nature of the early Roman state”, Wednesday 28 April, 8pm CET
Speakers:
Jeremy Armstrong (University of Auckland)
Marian Helm (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster)

Session 2:

“The nature of early Roman elites”, Wednesday 12 May, 8pm CET
Speakers:
Guy Bradley (University of Cardiff)
Troy Samuels (Phillips Exeter Academy)
Simon Lentzsch (Université de Fribourg)

Session 3:

“The nature of early Roman citizenship”, Wednesday 2 June, 8pm CET
Speakers:
Roman Roth (University of Cape Town)
Elena Isayev (University of Exeter)
Francisco Pina Polo (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Session 4:

Keynote, Thursday 24 June, 8pm CET
Speaker:
Ortwin Dally (Leitender Direktor der Abteilung Rom, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut):
“From the Regal Period to the Late Republic. New excavations on the Capitoline Hill in Rome and the problem of the topography of the sanctuary between the 6th and 1st centuries BC”

Session 5:

Panel Discussion “The Rise of Rome”, Wednesday 30 June, 8pm CET
Speakers:
Karl-Joachim Hölkeskamp (Universität zu Köln)
Nicola Terrenato (University of Michigan)