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'The Tiber has been joined by the Orontes'. So wrote the Roman satirist Juvenal, in a complaint about immigration to the Empire's capital. Rome was constantly sustained by immigrants. Some were voluntary: craftworkers, soldiers, teachers and intellectuals. Countless others came as slaves. What happened to them after their arrival? Did they try to keep contact with their homelands? Did they form distinctive communities within Rome? This book is a systematic study of Rome's foreign-born element. The author uses inscriptions and literature to explore the experiences of newcomers to the capital. The results are compared with the colourful Roman stereotypes of different immigrant groups.
Introduction
Section I: Evidence and Ancient Attitudes
1. The Evidence and the Problems
2. The Demographic and Legal Background
3. Attitudes to Foreigners
Section II: Moving to Rome
4. Who Moved to Rome?
5. Why Did People Move to Rome?
6. The Practicalities of Moving to Rome
Section III: Living at Rome
7. Aspects of Foreigners' Lives at Rome
8. Foreign Groups at Rome
Conclusion
Appendix: A List of Individual Immigrants Recorded in Inscriptions
Glossary
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index
Description
'The Tiber has been joined by the Orontes'. So wrote the Roman satirist Juvenal, in a complaint about immigration to the Empire's capital. Rome was constantly sustained by immigrants. Some were voluntary: craftworkers, soldiers, teachers and intellectuals. Countless others came as slaves. What happened to them after their arrival? Did they try to keep contact with their homelands? Did they form distinctive communities within Rome? This book is a systematic study of Rome's foreign-born element. The author uses inscriptions and literature to explore the experiences of newcomers to the capital. The results are compared with the colourful Roman stereotypes of different immigrant groups.
