Roman Colonies in the First Century of their Foundation

Readers interested in the Roman colony of Corinth and questions of Romanization and colonial identity should find food for thought in Roman Colonies in the First Century of their Foundation, Oxford 2011: Oxbow Books.  The work (ed. Rebecca Sweetman) includes chapters on Corinth (by Paul Scotton), Knossos, Nikopolis, and Butrint, among others.

Here is Christopher Dart’s opening paragraph in his review of the book for BMCR:

“The volume, deriving from a conference held at the University of St. Andrews in September of 2007, approaches the topic of “Romanization” from the perspective of the colony rather than from the “top-down,” investigating questions of identity and the relationships that individual Roman colonies had with both their surrounding communities and the broader empire. It consists of eight central chapters (2 to 9) examining the development of Roman colonies over a period of a century or more after their foundation. Both the scope of the individual chapters and the approaches employed are quite diverse; some looking at particular classes of evidence or very specific topics, others more generally studying the development of colonies in a particular region. Most of the chapters include illustrations, photographs and/or maps that are well-chosen and enhance the text. These chapters are supplemented by an introductory study to the volume by editor, Rebecca Sweetman (chapter 1), which identifies a number of historical problems and common themes that run throughout the chapters, and a concluding discussion by Greg Woolf (chapter 10), which more broadly discusses the nature of Roman colonisation.”

Read the rest of the review here.