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On the Roman Slave Supply and Slavebreeding, National Library Bibliothèque nationale I*I of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Sewices sewices bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaON K1AON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distriiute or sel1 reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Supervisor: Prokssor KR. Bradley A bstract The object of this thesis is to collect and analyze representations of barbarian captives used as decorations on Roman monuments from the mid second century B.C. to the mid fourth cenhiry A.D., in order to assess their significance in Roman society and mentality. This investigation of archaeological evidence is set within the historical and socio-cultural context of modem scholarly analysis of Roman slavery and dassical concepts of the "other." The evidence itself is presented in the form of a catalogue, appended to the thesis. Comrnencing with a description of six types of capture and submission scenes found within the material at large, Chapter One outlines the chronological and geographical limits of the study. A survey of the main lines of academic inquiry into anaent slavery follows in order to serve as a foundation on which the archaeological evidence may be placed. Sixni.larly, a brief discussion of previous work in the field of the cultural representation of the outsider is undertaken. This chapter condudes with a number of questions to be answered in the body of the thesis. Chapter Two containç an investigation of the origins of the image of defeated and humiliated enemies in Roman art, and surveys other ancient Mediterranean cultures which may have influenced Roman patrons and artists. Following this is a detailed discussion of the material evidence upon iii which the Catalogue is compnsed. Each medium on which the captive barbarian images appear is examined separately so that their widespread use may be established throughout time and space. Finally, a discussion of the sipficance of the images to Romans of different historical periods completes this chapter. The relationship between ancient slavery and representations of submission is the topic of Chapter Three. The purpose of this chapter is to determine if any contribution to the field of slavery may be made through the study of images which have never before been looked at from an historical perspective. The image as a symbol of power, and of the ethnic and gender identities of the captives is exanined. Finally, Chapter Four, deals with the images within the context of Roman identity formation and the cultural representations of the "other." It raises the issue of how Romans saw themselves and how their perception of others was shaped by this view. The characteristics that form Roman identity are discussed £irst in order to establish a foundation upon which the "other" may be based, such as the importance placed on warfare and ideals such as virtus. Then the Roman concept of the "other" is discussed which includes an examination of the issue of pity felt for outsiders in reality and in art. The main findings of the thesis are as follows. The image of the defeated and humiliated barbarian was important to Roman identity and mentality because it showed Romans who they were and who they were not, Table of Contents Title Page Table of Contents Acknowledgements Dedication Chapter One - Introduction Chronological and Geographical Distribution of the Archaeological Evidence The Six Types of Representations The Study of Captives within its Socio-Cultural and Historical Context Roman Slavery Studies of the "Other" Summary Chapter Two - The Evidence The History of the Motif Numismatic Evidence Monumental Trophies Triumphal Arches Triurnphal Columns Ahars Public Buildings and Spaces Distance Markers Cuirassed Statues Funerary Monuments and Sarcophagi Luxury and Decorative Items Summary Chapter Three - Reality and Symbol The Realities of War and Slavery The Captive Slave as a Symbol of Roman Power The Ethnic Identity of the Captives Gender Pattern and Stereotypes Summary / Conclusion Chapter Four - The "Other" On king Roman The "Oîher" A Roman Peace? Pity? The Games Pity In Art? The Nobte Savage Condusion Conclusions Bibliography Appendix - Catalogue of Representations First and foremost 1 would lïke to thank my supervisor, Professor KR. Bradley for introducing me to this topic and for his encouragement and guidance during my two yem at the University of Victoria. 1 would also like to thank Professor J.P. Oleson for suggesting alternative ways of looking at my research material and Professor J. Osborne for his kind criticism. 1 owe a great debt of gratitude to my fellow graduate students, especially Pauline Ripat, Barbara Reeves and Lesiie Shumka, who never failed to help me hdmy way when I was sure that I was lost 1 must also th& my family who have always supported me in my academic endeavours and am happy to prove to my sister Ronda Edwards that anything is possible if you work hard enough. Finally, 1 am forever indebted to Scott Crabb for his dagging support and encouragement, not to mention his sense of humour, which kept me grounded and sane throughout the writing of this thesis. viii For my grandfather Robert L. Scott without whom none of this would have been possible Chavter One - introduction Rising one hundred Roman feet above the Forum of Trajan in Rome stands Trajan's Column, a monument erected in honour of the emperor Trajan's victories won in 1M and 106 A.D. against the Dacians. This work of art is adomed with a narrative relief which winds its way up the column. Here episodes from the two wars fought between the Romans and their Dacian enemies are depicted. These scenes are important not the least because they portray the treatment of the people conquered by the Romans. Scene LXXV of the column shows the surrender of the Dacians at the end oi the firçt war in 102 A.D. On the le& side of the relief Trajan sits on a high podium among Roman soldiers and standard bearers. Three Dacian warriors kneel in submission at his feet; their arms are outstretched as they plead for mercy from the emperor. Their weapons lie on the ground around them as a sign of their surrender. Behind these men, a group of prisoners is portrayed. The captives stand with their hands pi~onedbehind their backs; their eyes are downcast in an attitude of hopelessness. To the right of these prisoners, and filling in the remainder of the scene, another group of surrendering Daüans is depicted. Like the first group of wamiors, they kneel in an attitude of passivity and supplication. This submission scene from the Column of Trajan contains two common images in Roman art: the submissive vanquished barbarian and the grieving bound captive. The object of this thesis is to investigate such representations in an attempt to understand aspects of the mentality of the society in which they were produced. Frorn the basis of a catalogue containing capture and submission scenes, thiç aim will be accomplished through examining and relating the material to two areas of historical study, namely slavery in the ancîent Roman world and cultural representations of the "other".l The essential starting point is why images of bound or humiliated barbarians were so important in Roman thought and ideology. The catalogue of representations on which the present study is based consiçts of two hundred and ninety-eight representations of submissive or bound barbarians found on Roman monurnents.2 Sudi a comprehensive collection of materials has not been assembled before, thus the catalogue makes something of a contribution to knowledge in its own right. The contents of the catalogue derive from archaeological, rather than literary, sources which raises certain problems,3 the chief of which is the fact that investigation has to be biased towards penods from which extensive material remains have survived, which in hun relates to the problem of preservation. We have fewer buildings and monuments from the Republican period than from the early Imperia1 period due to the extensive building programs of the -- - 1The term "other" refen to anyone who is not Roman, and therefore is cowidered a barbarian. For further discussion see beiow. 2The term monument refers to any medium which portrays a captive barbarian on it. Therefore ail media, from massive sculpture to coins, are referred to by this term. 3 Monuments known fmm literary sources, such as the statues of subjugated provinces located outside Pompey's Theatre, have not been induded in the catalogue as they have not survived. Kleiner 1992: 11 remarks that Mediaeval accounts state that the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius induded a barbarian under the horse's right hoof. As the barbarian has not been preserved, this monument has been exduded as well. early emperors and a higher rate of sUTVivalP The Cluonolopjcal and Geographical Distribution of the Archaeological Evidence The disonological boundaries of the study are loosely those from the Gracchi to Constantine (c.133 B.C. - 337 A.D.). The purpose of examining the captive motif over five centuries is to establish whether any changes in Roman attitudes to defeated enemies occurred over the.
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