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Samnite Economy and the Competitive Environment of Italy in the Fifth to Third Centuries Bc

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Samnite Economy and the Competitive Environment of Italy in the Fifth to Third Centuries Bc SAMNITE ECONOMY AND THE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT OF ITALY IN THE FIFTH TO THIRD CENTURIES BC Daniel C. Hoyer* 1. Introduction The traditional view of central Italy in the early and middle Republican periods holds that the people living in the Apennine highlands, particu- larly the Samnites, were essentially uncivilized, violent, and a constant nuisance to the more highly developed communities in Latium and Etru- ria. Livy, for example, wrote that Samnites in the fourth century bc “dwelt in villages in the mountains and would raid the plain and coastal regions with a contempt for their cultivators, who were of a milder character, while they themselves were rough mountain-dwellers”.1 Such views, moreover, have been endorsed by several modern scholars. Most notable is Salmon, who claims that “Samnium was an economic backwater” which imported “nothing of demonstrable overseas provenance,” relying rather, as Livy had claimed, on plundering their neighbours for sustenance or mass migra- tions.2 Related to this view is the idea of defensive imperialism, popu- lar especially in the first half of the twentieth century, which asserts that most of the warfare in the early and middle Republic was caused by Rome defending herself and her allies against the aggressive activity of her Ital- ian neighbours.3 In short, the interaction between Romans and Samnites has often been envisioned as a clash of civilizations, pitting the highly advanced political and economic systems of Rome against the backwards tribes living in the Apennine highlands. Rome’s eventual victory, seen in this light, is thus presented as both remarkable in having overcome such * University of New York; [email protected]. 1 Liv. 9.13.7. Oakley (1997, 155–6) notes that, for Livy’s audience, the term mountain dweller “might connote the backward, the brutish, and the sordid”. See Dench (1995) for a discussion of Roman literary representations of Samnites and other Italians. 2 Salmon (1967, 76). Similar arguments have been made more recently, largely fol- lowing Salmon’s analyses. See particularly Oakley (1993, 12–4); Torelli (1999, 5); Patterson (2006c, 606–8). Cf. Cornell (1995, 305, 345), who, while acknowledging that the Samnites were more advanced than it is often thought, argues that they were still “relatively poor and backward” in comparison with Rome. 3 Frank (1914); Holleaux (1921); Badian (1968); Sherwin-White (1984). 180 daniel c. hoyer a formidable, warlike opponent, as well as noble in having exposed this underdeveloped area to the benefits of Roman-style civilization.4 Recent evidence, however, belies much of this picture. In particular, there is now a good deal of archaeological material suggesting that many parts of eastern Italy actually had fairly well developed economic systems as early as the fifth century bc, and that many of the communities of Samnium were economically linked with Campania, Apulia, and Magna Graecia, as well as with areas outside of Italy. This view of the economic activity which occurred in central-eastern Italy before the Roman period, namely by the beginning of the First Punic War, has important implica- tions for how the early interactions between Rome and her Italian neigh- bours are conceived. For, if we accept that there was a significant amount of agricultural activity in Samnite territory, as well as economic links between the various communities in Samnium and throughout eastern Italy, then it is reasonable to accept too that the conflicts between these groups and the Romans involved more than simply a clash of civilizations. In other words, there was very likely more at stake in these conflicts than military domination and freedom from raids. That there seems to have been significant levels of agricultural activity and trading on the part of the so-called uncivilized group ought to suggest that there might have been economic motives on both sides prompting these conflicts. Thus, in light of all the evidence now available, it is necessary to rethink our approach to this crucial period in Roman history, and to focus on analyses which not only highlight the rivalry between the Romans and Samnites for political and military dominance, but also account for the competition over access to and control over the material resources and the economic wealth of central-eastern Italy. In this paper, then, I will briefly review some of the archaeological evidence that has been uncovered in the past few decades, most of which strongly suggests that the level of agricultural exploitation, manufacture, and trade throughout Samnium was much greater than has traditionally been thought. I will then explore how this evidence can be used to enrich our understanding of Roman expansion in this area of Italy from the fifth through third centuries bc, arguing that understanding the competitive environment within Italy and the actions 4 This is, essentially, part of the Romanization model of the conquest of Italy. Impor- tant recent discussions of this controversial topic include Torelli (1995; 1999), Mouritsen (1998); Keay & Terrenato (2001). .
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