The consequences of Roman Imperialism: cultural change in the Basalt Region of Homs, Syria

Abstract

The subject of this paper is the impact of Roman Imperialism on the rural environment of Syria. It was formerly assumed that the cultures of the Near East had already been subject to a long period of Greek cultural influence, that they had effectively been Hellenized prior to their incorporation within the Roman Empire. Consequently, Roman influence within the Near East has been viewed as minimal, in both socio-political and cultural terms: Roman forms of control were a continuation of what had been developed in the pre-Roman era and Roman culture was essentially a variant of Greek culture. Using the evidence of the basalt landscape of the Homs region of Syria, this paper applies concepts developed in postcolonial theory to the mechanisms of imperialism and the subsequent processes of colonization, particularly hybridity. As a result, evidence for more intensive Roman involvement within Syria and the generation of new local, regional and empire-wide cultural forms can be seen. From an understanding of the funerary material remains surveyed in this region, I suggest Roman hegemony caused the development of a much more complex interplay between different sections of society, leading to fundamental changes in the rural culture and way the rural landscape was seen and used.

Keywords:

• Roman Syria
• Roman Imperialism
• burial practices
• hybridity
• cultural change

Acknowledgements

The original fieldwork was supported by a number of Small Research Grants generously provided by the British Academy (SG-40382 [for 2005], SG-42370 [for 2006] and SG-45832 [for 2007]). I would also like to thank Professors Graham Philip and David Mattingly for reading earlier versions of this paper and for the very helpful comments from the two reviewers.