Wars & Revolts: Archaeology of Conflict Flashcards
How does archaeology help us understand Roman provincial rule?
It shows how Rome maintained control and how locals responded. Material remains show Romanization, elite cooperation, and signs of unrest.
Pliny, Letters X.96–97; Tacitus, Agricola 21
🏛️ Examples: Ostia, Timgad, Aphrodisias, Vindolanda
What do the Vindolanda Tablets reveal about frontier life?
Daily letters reveal military logistics, supply issues, local threats, and personal life—offering insight into provincial realities.
Tacitus, Agricola 18–19; Pliny, Letters III.19
🏛️ Vindolanda Fort, North Britain — tablets preserved in anaerobic mud
Which sources support evidence from Vindolanda?
Tacitus, Agricola 18–21 — hostile natives, military discipline; Pliny, Letters X.96–97 — imperial communication; Vindolanda Tablets — orders, birthday party invites, duty rotas.
What does Fishbourne Palace suggest about Romanization?
British elite (possibly Cogidubnus) adopted Roman styles — mosaics, baths — as part of elite cultural assimilation.
Tacitus, Agricola 21; Suetonius, Claudius 17
🏛️ Fishbourne Palace, Sussex — Roman-style domus in Britain
How does Agricola describe Rome’s policy in Britain?
Encouraging Britons to adopt Roman customs as a form of soft control — ‘they called it civilization, it was part of their enslavement’.
Tacitus, Agricola 21
🏛️ Fishbourne Palace; Roman roads and forums in Britain
How can we identify an ‘archaeology of conflict’?
Look for siege works, weapons, trauma evidence, destruction layers, fortifications.
Josephus, Jewish War 7.252–406; Tacitus, Histories 4.12–37
🏛️ Masada, Jerusalem, Hadrian’s Wall, Djemila’s walls
What happened at Masada, and what proves it archaeologically?
Final stand of Jewish rebels (73 AD); Romans built a siege ramp, camps. Bodies and artifacts support Josephus’ account of mass suicide.
Josephus, Jewish War 7.252–406
🏛️ Masada — siege ramp, Roman camps, remains of defenders
What proves Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 AD?
Burnt layers, sacked temple, smashed stones, coins buried under ash — confirms Josephus’ account.
Josephus, Jewish War 6.201–442
🏛️ Jerusalem, Temple Mount, Burnt House excavation
What does Hadrian’s Wall show about Roman policy?
Physical expression of defensive imperial strategy — frontier control, troop stationing, trade regulation.
Historia Augusta, Hadrian 11.1–2
🏛️ Hadrian’s Wall, Vindolanda, Housesteads — milecastles, forts, supply lines
What text justifies Hadrian’s defensive approach?
Historia Augusta, Hadrian 11.1–2 — building walls to define the empire and maintain peace.
Hadrian’s Wall, Bar Hill, Chesters Fort
What do Timgad and Djemila reveal about Roman imperialism?
Gridded layouts and public buildings show Rome’s intent to implant its urban culture in newly colonized lands.
Pliny, Letters V.6; Tacitus, Agricola 21
🏛️ Timgad, Djemila (North Africa) — forums, baths, amphitheatres
How do Aphrodisias and Ephesos reflect hybrid identities?
They blend Roman and Greek elements — imperial cults beside Hellenistic temples, inscriptions in both languages.
Philostratus, Lives of the Sophists I.25–II.1
🏛️ Aphrodisias (Sebasteion); Ephesos (Library of Celsus, temples)
What does Philostratus say about Greek life under Rome?
He shows that Greek cities retained cultural prestige while embracing Roman patronage.
Lives of the Sophists I.25–II.1
🏛️ Athens, Aphrodisias, Ephesos — monuments to emperors and Greek thinkers
What does Pliny’s Panegyricus and Letters show about provincial rule?
Emphasizes efficient, moral administration and the emperor’s benevolence in local matters.
Panegyricus 10, 33–35; Letters X.96–97
🏛️ Ostia, Pompeii — civic planning aligned with Roman virtues (e.g., forums, baths, temples)
How do Ostia and Pompeii reflect Roman values?
Their layout and public buildings promote Roman ideals — hygiene, religion, social order.
Juvenal, Satires 3.60–125; Seneca, Moral Letters 47
🏛️ Ostia, Pompeii — latrines, baths, temples, theatres
How does archaeology complicate literary portrayals of Roman life?
It reveals poverty, cultural resistance, and regional variation that texts often obscure or ignore.
Juvenal, Satires 3; Petronius, Satyricon 28–78
🏛️ Pompeii (small houses, local graffiti), Vindolanda (female literacy, hardship)
