What Defined Roman Identity Within Ancient Rome’s Society? | Rome: Empire Without Limit | Timeline

In the third episode Mary takes an in-depth look at the question of identity and citizenship within the Roman Empire. What did it mean to be, or to become, Roman, and how did the very different parts of the empire react to Roman rule?

In the beautifully preserved cities of Algeria, incomers and locals mixed to create flourishing communities with a distinct ‘more Roman than Rome’ frontier identity. Mary follows the trail of one such African Roman from his native land all the way to Britain, where he served as governor – proof that for all the brutality of conquest, there were opportunities too. Here in Britain another picture emerges, of resistance, hybrid culture and incipient British identity. In York and Newcastle, Mary finds the remains of Romans, but not as we might imagine them – a rich African lady, officers from central Europe and a camp follower from Syria.

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