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Freedom and citizenship in the Roman Empire: Legal and epigraphic approaches to status identification Pier Luigi Morbidoni PhD in Classics The University of Edinburgh 2019 SIGNED DECLARATION 1. I declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree. Except where states otherwise by reference or acknowledgment, the work presented is entirely my own. 2. I confirm that this thesis presented for the degree of PhD in Classics, has i) been composed entirely by myself ii) been solely the result of my own work iii) not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification 3. I declare that this thesis was composed by myself, that the work contained herein is my own except where explicitly stated otherwise in the text, and that this work has not been submitted for any other degree or processional qualification except as specified. Edinburgh, 27 February 2019 Pier Luigi Morbidoni Aemilio et Iulianae, Manes optimi. ABSTRACT This thesis constitutes a novel attempt to identify different civic statuses in the Roman Empire in key legal and epigraphic sources – especially the so-called Junian Latins, dediticii, Latin citizens and first-generation Roman citizens. The goal of the thesis is to offer a new tool for (and a different perspective on) status identification in our sources, to advance our understanding of Roman society in the early Roman Empire. Identification of the different categories listed above has always been complex and challenging, given the typical lack of a clear status identifier in our sources for individuals of one or other these statuses, thus creating a mass of so-called incerti in our evidence. To tackle this problem, this thesis adopts in the first instance a theoretical framework based on detailed analysis of juridical texts, statutes and other relevant legal evidence, which delineates the complex limitations of Junian Latins, dediticii, peregrines and Latin citizens in imperial times. This legal framework is then expanded by a thorough discussion of the epigraphic evidence, which allows us to appreciate how ‘real’ individuals interacted, in Roman society, with men and women of similar or different legal condition, and how they chose to represent themselves and their status. Moreover, by adopting a content-sensitive approach to the study of legal texts and inscriptions, the thesis explores the hypothesis that men and women who enjoyed certain legal statuses lacked the linguistic ‘markers’ to fully convey their condition through the epigraphic medium. As a consequence, this thesis seeks to call into question the idea that the Latin epigraphic production in imperial times was a medium mostly embraced by individuals of servile extraction, by adopting a different perspective on the study of the (modern) category of incerti, and by re-evaluating the criteria of enrolment of Roman citizens in the urban tribes, especially the Palatina. Ultimately, this study aspires to put forward new approaches and parameters that might be used to ascertain the condition of some of the men and women who currently appear (to us) in the rich inscriptional evidence as incerti, thus also gaining a more precise comprehension of who engaged with Latin epigraphy. In its totality, this thesis makes a contribution to the study of Roman law, Latin epigraphy and Roman imperial society more broadly. i ii LAY SUMMARY This thesis constitutes a novel attempt to identify different civic statuses in the Roman Empire in key legal and inscriptional sources pertaining to (informally) manumitted slaves, Latin citizens and first-generation Roman citizens. The goal of the thesis is to offer a new tool for (and a different perspective on) status identification in our sources, to advance our understanding of Roman society in the early Roman Empire. Identification of the different civic status categories just listed has always been complex and challenging, given the typical lack of a clear status identifier in our sources for individuals of one or other of these statuses, thus creating a mass (in our evidence) of men and women of unknown civic status – whom scholars call incerti. This thesis addresses the problem and challenge of identifying individuals of unknown civic status through detailed legal and epigraphic analysis. By adopting a new perspective on the study of the (modern) category of incerti, and by re-evaluating some of the indicators for civic status, this thesis challenges moreover the notion that the Latin inscriptional production in imperial times was a medium mostly embraced by individuals of servile extraction. In its totality, this thesis makes a contribution to the study of Roman law, Latin epigraphy and Roman imperial society more broadly. iii iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my primary supervisor, Ulrike Roth. Since our first email exchange in 2014, she has provided me with all the support, intellectual stimulation and opportunity for personal and academic growth that only a mentor can offer. Her human qualities and her dedication to the students under her care set the example that I aspire to follow as an academic professional. I am equally thankful to my secondary supervisor, Ben Russell. Besides the good advice he has given me throughout the course of my PhD, his involvement was instrumental in securing the funding that allowed me to continue my doctoral studies. I am also very grateful that he chose to involve me with the excavation of Aeclanum: the time spent in Mirabella will always remain one of my most cherished memories as a doctoral student. Not many can claim to have driven a bumper car with one of their supervisors. I am very grateful to my funding bodies, the Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership, and The University of Edinburgh College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Awards. Their generosity made my doctoral studies possible. I am profoundly grateful to Francesca Cenerini, whose passion and humanity inspired me to study Latin epigraphy in the first place. I would like to thank my reviewers and the other members of the faculty in Classics, and especially Lucy Grig, Juan Lewis and Sandra Bingham, for the new research perspective they have offered me, which had a profound impact on my research. I am also grateful to Kim Czajkowski and Benet Salway, who agreed to act as the examiners to my thesis. Their constructive criticism and knowledgeable observations have helped me to strengthen greatly the arguments put forward in this dissertation. I am equally grateful to Michael Crawford and Myles Lavan, for reading part of my thesis, and for offering me precious insights that vastly improved the quality of my research. A special mention goes to Tatjana Sandon, my soror epigraphica. I have much to learn from her intellectual curiosity and expertise in Latin epigraphy, and I hope that our partnership will grow even stronger in the coming years. v I owe a debt of gratitude to Girolamo Ferdinando De Simone for welcoming me into the Apolline Project as a specialist in Latin epigraphy, and for giving me the opportunity to run the Summer School in Latin Epigraphy for two consecutive years, an experience that has greatly enriched me on both a personal and academic level. A heartfelt thank you must go to Rian. Although we met only towards the end of my doctoral studies, he has since become a source of great inspiration for me. His words and actions constantly drive me to do my best, not only in my academic research, but also in everyday life. Equally, I would like to thank the people who have offered me a great deal of motivation and emotional support during the past years, and especially Graziano, Chanchal and Pietro. Finally, my warmest thank you goes to my family, and especially to my mother Francesca, whose selflessness has allowed me to pursue my academic dreams. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................... i LAY SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................ iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................ ix TECHNICAL INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 ‘Better