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Western Provinces of the Roman Empire : a Juridical and Functional Approach to Town Life in Roman Gaul, Germania Inferior and Britain Issue Date: 2018-10-17

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Western Provinces of the Roman Empire : a Juridical and Functional Approach to Town Life in Roman Gaul, Germania Inferior and Britain Issue Date: 2018-10-17 Cover Page The handle http://hdl.handle.net/1887/66262 holds various files of this Leiden University dissertation. Author: Pellegrino, F. Title: The urbanization of the North-Western provinces of the Roman Empire : a juridical and functional approach to town life in Roman Gaul, Germania inferior and Britain Issue Date: 2018-10-17 THE URBANIZATION OF THE NORTH- WESTERN PROVINCES OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE A JURIDICAL AND FUNCTIONAL APPROACH TO TOWN LIFE IN ROMAN GAUL, GERMANIA INFERIOR AND BRITAIN Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden, op gezag van Rector Magnificus prof. mr. C.J.J.M. Stolker, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties te verdedigen op 17.10.2018, klokke 13.45 uur door Frida Pellegrino geboren te Tione di Trento, Italy, in 1985 Promotores: Prof. dr. J. Bintliff Prof. dr. L. de Ligt Promotiecommissie: Prof. dr. P.C.M. Hoppenbrouwers Prof. dr. M.L.J.C. Schrover Prof. dr. N.G.A.M. Roymans dr. F.G. Naerebout dr. J. de Bruin CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. VII LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. XIII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ XV INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 1 1. The study of the urbanization of the North-Western provinces ...................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: OBJECT AND AIMS...................................................................................... 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 5 1.1 Ancient cities: ancient definitions .................................................................................... 6 1.2 The object of research .................................................................................................... 10 1.2.1 A juridical definition ............................................................................................... 11 1.2.2 Morphology and size ............................................................................................... 13 1.2.3 A functional definition............................................................................................. 16 1.2.4 A three-fold definition ............................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER 2: THE DAWN OF URBANISM ..................................................................... 23 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 23 2.1 The process of urbanization ........................................................................................... 25 2.1.1 Iron Age ‘oppida’: terminology and problematics .................................................. 25 2.1.2 The process of urbanization ..................................................................................... 30 2.2 The development of urbanism in southern Gaul ............................................................ 35 2.2.1 The foundation of Marseille .................................................................................... 35 2.2.2 Urban concentration (4th to 2nd centuries BC) ....................................................... 37 2.2.3 The Romans and the construction of a province ..................................................... 38 2.3 The development of urbanism in the rest of Gaul and Germania Inferior ..................... 43 2.3.1 The Late Iron Age.................................................................................................... 43 2.3.2 The oppidum ............................................................................................................ 45 2.3.3 Regional differences in character and distribution of Late Iron Age oppida .......... 48 2.3.4 The process of ‘centralization’ ................................................................................ 52 2.4. The development of urbanism in Britain ....................................................................... 56 2.4.1 The British Iron Age ................................................................................................ 56 2.4.2 The ‘developed hillforts’ ......................................................................................... 61 2.4.3 The polyfocal complexes ......................................................................................... 66 III 2.4.4 Regional differences in character and distribution of polyfocal complexes and oppida .......................................................................................................................................... 72 CHAPTER 3: THE INTEGRATION OF THE NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES INTO THE ROMAN EMPIRE ........................................................................................................ 79 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 79 3.1 The Romans and the political integration of cities ......................................................... 80 3.1.1 The ‘civitas’ ............................................................................................................. 80 3.1.2 Colonies ................................................................................................................... 81 3.1.3 Municipia ................................................................................................................. 82 3.1.4 Political integration in the Roman Empire: the ius Latii ......................................... 82 3.2 A new administrative system ......................................................................................... 83 3.2.1 A political explanation............................................................................................. 87 3.3. The juridical status in the north-western provinces ...................................................... 90 3.3.1 Gallia Narbonensis .................................................................................................. 90 3.3.2 The ‘redactio in formam provinciae’ ....................................................................... 92 3.3.3 The introduction of the ius Latii in Gaul ................................................................. 94 3.3.4 Status in the Alpine provinces ................................................................................. 96 3.3.5 Germania Inferior .................................................................................................... 98 3.3.6 Britannia ................................................................................................................ 100 3.4 Juridical status and city rank ........................................................................................ 102 3.4.1 The limitations of the juridical approach ............................................................... 106 CHAPTER 4: THE SELF-GOVERNING CITIES: ELEMENTS AND RHYTHMS OF URBANIZATION ................................................................................................................ 113 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 113 4.2 Urban infrastructures and civic buildings .................................................................... 118 4.2.1 Stone circuit walls ................................................................................................. 118 4.2.2 Arches .................................................................................................................... 126 4.2.3 Forum .................................................................................................................... 131 4.2.4 Basilica .................................................................................................................. 140 4.3 Spectacle buildings ....................................................................................................... 143 4.3.1 Theatres ................................................................................................................. 144 4.3.2 Amphitheatres ........................................................................................................ 148 4.3.3 Circus ..................................................................................................................... 153 4.3.4 Urban location ....................................................................................................... 154 IV 4.4 How large were self-governing cities? ......................................................................... 155 4.5 Understanding temporal rhythms: dating the erection of public buildings in the self- governing cities .................................................................................................................. 165 4.6 The distribution of self-governing cities ...................................................................... 168 CHAPTER 5: THE SECONDARY AGGLOMERATIONS OF GAUL ........................ 177 Introduction .......................................................................................................................
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