Imperial Rome: a city of immigrants?

Authors

  • Andrew Wallace-Hadrill University of Cambridge

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5617/acta.6076

Keywords:

history, Imperial Rome, immigration,

Abstract

While it is clear that Rome was both of exceptional size as a city, and had an exceptional number and range of immigrants, it is extraordinarily difficult to have a clear idea either of its absolute size, or its demographic balance between locals and immigrants, citizens and non -citizens, freeborn and freed, slave and free. This paper argues that the impression of precise numbers given for recipients of handouts of grain or cash understates the fluidity of the population, and that the impression of high numbers of freedmen and slaves derived from funerary epitaphs may make as much sense for Rome as it does for Herculaneum, where the demographic balance is better attested.

Author Biography

Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, University of Cambridge

Professor of Roman Studies

Director of Research in the Faculty of Classics

University of Cambridge

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How to Cite

Wallace-Hadrill, A. (2018) “Imperial Rome: a city of immigrants?”, Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia, 29(15 N.S.), pp. 53–72. doi: 10.5617/acta.6076.

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 15 N.S. (2017): (TOC, abstracts and full text)

Section

Articles

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