Peck, Alexander Gyford (2016) Haec patria est : the conceptualisation, function and nature of patria in the Roman world. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

It has been believed that patria was an inherently civic or political concept, being interpreted as indicating citizenship or the state in which citizenship was held. Thus, it has been regarded by some as synonymous with res publica. This thesis revaluates our understanding of patria in the Roman world by examining its conceptualisation, function and nature in Latin literature and inscriptions.

This thesis reveals how patria was a complex and multifaceted conceptual embodiment of collective identity; that its membership was broad, pertaining to men and women, free and freed, as well as evidence that suggests it even may have extended to slaves; that it was territorially ambiguous, being interpreted contemporaneously as corresponding to urban or regional geographical spaces; that it commanded a significant degree of affection and loyalty from its members; that it was prominent in the presentation of individual moral and political character, and in the presentation of imperial regimes; and finally how there was no single, all-embracing concept for the Roman Empire as a whole. This thesis also shows how patria was not a static concept. Instead, its conceptualisation shifted according to changes in the wider political or cultural context.

In Chapter One, I consider how patria was understood, defined and recognised. In Chapter Two, I look at the function of patria in the writings of Cicero and its relationship to Roman republican politics. In Chapter Three, I examine the role of patria within the cultural context of the Augustan principate as a medium of Roman unity post-civil war. In Chapter Four, I consider how patria was used to define and understand the Augustan principate and the regime of Septimius Severus. Finally, in Chapter Five, I assess the truth behind the idea that there was a single all-embracing concept of patria for the peoples of the Roman Empire.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DG Italy
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Rome -- Politics and government, Rome -- Social life and customs, Citizenship -- Rome, Group identity -- Rome
Official Date:	May 2016
Dates:	Date Event May 2016 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Classics and Ancient History
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Cooley, Alison
Sponsors:	Arts & Humanities Research Council (Great Britain)
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	414 pages : illustrations
Language:	eng

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