Today's artefact is particularly close to my heart. In 2006 I was lucky enough to take part in an archaeological dig in Pompeii with the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii (AAPP), working in the north-western corner of the ancient city (Region VI, Block 1). One of the many fascinating aspects of digging in this area of Pompeii was that it was particularly affected by the Social Wars, the civil conflict that tore apart Italy from 91 BCE when the "allies" of Rome revolted against the Romans – probably because they wanted full citizenship, to be "full members of Rome's club", as Mary Beard puts it. Pompeii was besieged by none other than Sulla, the Roman general and dictator who we saw in the previous History of the Classical World entry – and evidence of his attack still remains at the site today. In the first photo, the walls of Pompeii show evidence of ballista strikes – the ancient equivalent of cannon balls. The second image, from an earlier AAPP dig in 1999, shows lead shot – ancient bullets, launched from slings. It's a striking reminder that, even though we think of the cities of Italy as thoroughly Roman, it wasn't always the case – and that Romanness (or Romanitas) was both highly contested and highly prized.
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AuthorEmily Hauser is a classicist and researcher at Harvard and author of historical fiction recovering the lost women of the ancient world, including FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL and FOR THE WINNER. Archives
June 2018
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