03-22-2001, 03:21 PM
THe vigiles are about to put out the fires, though they've been concentrating on the troubles caused by that damn Livius Drusus and his radical policies. How much paperwork can that man generate, stirring up Italians, getting those hairy etruscans in to Rome complaining about him...<br>
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I think part of the issue in this context is not race but culture. As Jenny says, the concept of race was largely foreign to the ancients (excuse the pun, to long at the org, Shai's rubs of on you). What was at issue was the behaviour of individuals. hence sections of Roman society were hugely critical of people displaying what they regarded as for instance Greek or Oriental behaviour. This wasn't even necessarily critical of the culturre itself, just of the betrayal of Romans to their own heritage who behaved in this fashion. There was certainly a notion of the noble savage with regard to say the Gauls at times, but they were respected those capable of defeating them. I'm drifting OT here...<br>
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I think in the end the issue of coloured troops serving in the Roman army comes down to whether or not they lived within the Empire. As Jenny says most of North Africa was not black in the sense we think of it, nor is it now. Much more important in all respects than race for military and civil issues was the possession of citizenship of the Empire. That is where any clashes lay, not in the colour of skin <p>It's not a bug, it's a feature</p><i></i>
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I think part of the issue in this context is not race but culture. As Jenny says, the concept of race was largely foreign to the ancients (excuse the pun, to long at the org, Shai's rubs of on you). What was at issue was the behaviour of individuals. hence sections of Roman society were hugely critical of people displaying what they regarded as for instance Greek or Oriental behaviour. This wasn't even necessarily critical of the culturre itself, just of the betrayal of Romans to their own heritage who behaved in this fashion. There was certainly a notion of the noble savage with regard to say the Gauls at times, but they were respected those capable of defeating them. I'm drifting OT here...<br>
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I think in the end the issue of coloured troops serving in the Roman army comes down to whether or not they lived within the Empire. As Jenny says most of North Africa was not black in the sense we think of it, nor is it now. Much more important in all respects than race for military and civil issues was the possession of citizenship of the Empire. That is where any clashes lay, not in the colour of skin <p>It's not a bug, it's a feature</p><i></i>
In the name of heaven Catiline, how long do you propose to exploit our patience..
