On the Roman Concept of Natio
Journal
Colloquia humanistica
Date Issued
2016
Author(s)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.11649/ch.2016.002
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to examine the Roman concept of natio: what did the
ancient Romans mean by it, in what sense did they use the term and how does
the ancient Roman concept of natio differ from the modern concept of nation?
The study is based on a corpus of Latin texts that belong to different periods and
different genres. The earliest usages date back to the third century BC and the latest
ones to the late second century AD. The texts that form the main source of data
derive from the so-called Ciceronian age of Latin literature (81–43 BC).
The study shows that the Roman concept of natio differed in many respects
from the modern concept of nation. For the Romans, natio was primarily a collective
term for a tribal community of foreigners who were tied together by the
place of birth, but who were not organized into a politically recognized entity. The
term was also used pejoratively to denigrate communities of people derided for
their common values, interests and activities, as well as a term which referred to
the place of origin of a product.
ancient Romans mean by it, in what sense did they use the term and how does
the ancient Roman concept of natio differ from the modern concept of nation?
The study is based on a corpus of Latin texts that belong to different periods and
different genres. The earliest usages date back to the third century BC and the latest
ones to the late second century AD. The texts that form the main source of data
derive from the so-called Ciceronian age of Latin literature (81–43 BC).
The study shows that the Roman concept of natio differed in many respects
from the modern concept of nation. For the Romans, natio was primarily a collective
term for a tribal community of foreigners who were tied together by the
place of birth, but who were not organized into a politically recognized entity. The
term was also used pejoratively to denigrate communities of people derided for
their common values, interests and activities, as well as a term which referred to
the place of origin of a product.
Subjects
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
On the Roman Concept of Natio.pdf
Size
306.61 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):14fee0ac5e474549028f86a000b71769