Essay - What Did It Mean to Be Roman in the Context...

What did it mean to be Roman in the context of ancient Roman society? On its surface, such a question seems obvious. To be Roman *****s to ***** a citizen, of course, to be a part of the great, famously "grand" empire that was Imperial Rome. But in analyzing the particular texts of the Roman period ***** ***** of who constituted a ***** in the ********** Roman *****, and of the ways ***** which the "public cult" ***** Roman civic and religious obedience was observed, this easy analysis of Roman identity is called into question. Th***** paper will advance the thesis that Roman identity originated as a fixed and highly codified concept in a legal sense because of the distinction of citizens and slaves ***** became problematic with the introduction of ***** and civic pluralism during the expansion of the Roman Empire. To highlight this, this paper ***** focus on ***** broad, satirical comedies of Plautus and their depicti***** of slavery and the discussion ***** religion in the works of the historian Livy. It will also include some brief, contrasting commentary by the earlier ***** Polybius and his contemporary Saullst.

In discussing questions ***** *****, the anthropologist Mary Douglas once observed "whenever a strict pattern of purity is imposed on our lives it is either highly uncomfortable, or, it leads ***** contradiction if closely followed, ***** it leads to hypocrisy." (Douglas 163) By making ***** statement, Douglas means that whenever a ***** has a strong definition of what constitutes ***** identity and core of values, it is almost impossible to follow the strictures imposed by that ***** ***** ident*****y in any close and accurate form *****out discomfort or *****. This was true of the definition of what it meant ***** be a good *****nd virtuous Roman c*****izen from ***** empire's earliest days. Acc*****ding to the early historian Polybius, '*****ess' was an austere, military discipline

Many Romans have volunteered to decide a ********** battle by a single combat; not a few have deliberately accepted certain death, some in time ***** war to secure the safety of the rest, some in time of peace to preserve ***** ***** of the commonwealth. There have also been instances of men in office putting ***** own sons to death, in defiance of every custom and law, because they rated the interests of their country highest than those of natural ties even with their nearest ***** dearest. (Polybius' Histories Book VI Section 52)

Despite this early, strict definition of Roman virtue, Roman society ***** ***** able, perhaps hypocritically, to maintain a fluid definition of ***** identity. This is perhaps evidenced most dramatically in the question of slavery. "A Funny Thing Happened on ***** Way to the Forum" ***** perhaps *****e of the most famous versions of Roman society created by modern authors. Many have enjoyed its humor, ***** centers on ***** struggles of a sl*****ve to win his freedom. But few c*****temporary viewers are aw***** ***** ***** plot and many of its characters were taken, virtually