Roman Imperialism
An Introduction
Course Objectives
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To further ability to conduct large, independent
research projects
To have a firm grasp of the basic outline of Roman
history
To understand major issues in the study of
imperialism
To be able to define imperialism in your own
language
To develop a genuine interest in problems in
Roman history
Some Modern Assessments
and Characterizations
of the Roman Empire
M. Cary and H.H. Scullard,
A History of Rome
“European culture is in the main a new
graft upon the old Graeco-Roman stock,
and Rome was the principal channel
through which the modern world has
entered upon the heritage of the ancient. If
‘all roads lead to Rome’ they also lead out
again from Rome. For those who have
learnt to think beyond yesterday, Rome is
the focusing point of the world’s history.”
Amy Richlin, “Not Before Homosexuality: The
Materiality of the Cinaedus and the Roman Law
against Love between Men,” Journal of the
History of Sexuality [3 (1993)]
“The Roman projection of Rome as a male
fucking the rest of the world is too large and
depressing a topic to go into here. This is not
something Juvenal made up; he is drawing on a
tradition that goes back at least to the time of
Lucilius…and, I would argue, is probably
intrinsic to Roman cultural identity.”
Overview of Roman History
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Prehistoric Italy: ca. 1800-753 BCE
Republican Rome: 509-31 BCE
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Principate: 31 BCE-CE 284
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Early: 509-264 BCE-Patricians and Plebeians, Struggle of
Orders
Middle: 264-133 BCE-Carthage and Overseas Expansion
Late: 133-31 BCE-External and Internal Crises, Civil War
Early: 31 BCE-CE 96-Julio-Claudians, Flavians, Domitian
High: CE 96-CE 180-Five Good Emperors, Commodus
Late: CE 180-CE 284-Military and Economic Crises
Dominate (Later Empire): CE 284-395? 410? 476?
1453?
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Diocletian, Constantine, Alaric, Romulus Augustulus
The Provinces in the Period of
the Principate
Questions on Roman Imperialism
The Roman administration of empire and
the levels of control of subjected peoples
 Imperial policies of exclusion and inclusion
 Center and periphery and the creation of a
common Roman culture
 “Romanization” and its impetus
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Peter Garnsey and Richard Saller,
The Roman Empire: Economy, Society,
and Culture
“The aims of government remained
limited to the enforcement of law
and order and the raising of
revenues for the support of the
capital city, court, administration,
and army.”
Evidence for Commerce in the
Roman Empire
Shipwrecks in the Western Mediterranean
from Cornell and Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World
Shipwrecks in the Western Mediterranean
from Cornell and Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World
Some Economic Considerations
of Roman Imperialism
Roman Pottery Finds in the 3rd Century BC
from Cornell and Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World
The High Empire: Campanian Ware in Gaul
from Woolf, Becoming Roman
Distribution of terra sigillata produced in Central Gaul
from Woolf, Becoming Roman
Production Sites of terra sigillata in Gaul and Germany
from Woolf, Becoming Roman
“Romanization” as a World of
Cities: Urbanization in the
Roman Empire
An Urban Network in Roman Gaul
from Woolf, Becoming Roman
Grid Plan of Roman Colony at Florence
Ruins of North African Aqueduct
“Romanization” as Acculturation:
The Amphitheater and the Baths
Amphitheater at El-Djem (Africa)
Amphitheater
at
Nimes
(France)
Roman Aqueduct at Segovia (Spain)
Aqueduct
over the
River Gard
Three Important Thinkers on
Roman Imperialism
J.A. Hobson, Imperialism: A Study
“This is the largest, plainest instance history
presents of the social parasitic process by
which a moneyed interest within the State,
usurping the reins of government, makes for
imperial expansion in order to fasten economic
suckers into foreign bodies so as to drain them
of their wealth in order to support domestic
luxury”
V.I. Lenin, Imperialism: The
Highest Stage of Capitalism
“Rome, founded on slavery, pursued a
colonial policy and achieved imperialism.
But…[e]ven the colonial policy of
capitalism in its previous stages is
essentially different from the colonial policy
of finance capital.”
J.A. Schumpeter, Imperialism
and Social Classes
“We must bear in mind…that the policy of the
Empire was directed only toward its preservation
and…was not imperialist by our definition….Most
of the emperors tried to solve the problem by
concessions and appeasement. But from the Punic
Wars to Augustus there was undoubtedly an
imperialist period, a time of unbounded will to
conquest.”
Imperialism: What Is It?
Some Definitions
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Oxford Latin Dictionary s.v. imperium: “The
supreme administrative power, in Rome exercised
at first by the kings, and subsequently by certain
magistrates and provincial governors.”
Webster’s Universal College Dictionary s.v.
imperialism: “the policy of extending the rule or
authority of an empire or nation over foreign
countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and
dependencies.”
Imperialism According to J.A.
Hobson
“It is the debasement of…genuine
nationalism, by attempts to overflow its
natural banks and absorb the near or distant
territory of reluctant and unassimilable
peoples, that marks the passage from
nationalism to a spurious colonialism on the
one hand, and Imperialism on the other.”
Imperialism According to Karl
Kautsky
“Imperialism is a product of a highly
developed industrial capitalism. It consists in
the striving of every industrial capitalist
nation to bring under its control and to annex
increasing big agrarian regions irrespective of
what nations inhabit those regions.”
Imperialism According to V.I.
Lenin
“Imperialism has emerged as the development
and direct continuation of the fundamental
attributes of capitalism in general.”
“If it were necessary to give the briefest
possible definition of imperialism we should
have to say that imperialism is the monopoly
stage of capitalism.”
Lenin’s Essential Features of Imperialism
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Concentration of production and capital leading to
economic monopolies
Bank capital merges with industrial capital,
leading to a “financial oligarchy”
Export of capital, as opposed to commodities
Formation of international capitalist monopolies
sharing the world amongst themselves
Territorial division of the world among the
greatest capitalistic powers
More Lenin on Imperialism and
Capitalism
“Imperialism is capitalism in that stage of
development in which the dominance of monopolies
and finance capital has established itself; in which
the export of capital has acquired pronounced
importance; in which the division of the world
among the international trusts has begun; in which
the division of all territories of the globe among the
great capitalist powers has been completed.”
Imperialism According to J.A.
Schumpeter
“This…is our definition: imperialism
is the objectless disposition on the
part of a state to unlimited forcible
expansion.”
Readings for Next Meeting
J.A. Hobson, Imperialism: A Study, 15-93
 V.I. Lenin, Imperialism: The Highest Stage
of Capitalism, 16-67
 J.A. Schumpeter, Imperialism and Social
Classes, 3-130
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Assignments for Next Meeting
Individual Report on Hobson
 Individual Report on Lenin
 Individual Report on Schumpeter
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Reports should run approximately 15
minutes
Questions for Readings
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How do the ideas on imperialism of Hobson,
Lenin, and Schumpeter differ? On what points, if
any, are they in agreement?
What is the relationship of capitalism and
imperialism in the theories of these three thinkers?
How might we apply these ideas to the study of
Roman imperialism? What features of these
theories might be anachronistic, and therefore of
little help in the study of Roman imperialism?