2.9 Romanisation - TEACH -

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

The Time of Greeks and Romans

2.9 Romanisation

When the people in the Netherlands
adopted Roman culture and became more like the Romans, we call this "Romanisation".
Today, we adopt a lot of things from the USA. You can call that "Americanisation". Try to write down examples of this

Drag the names (A - F) and the pictures (G - L) to the correct building

amphitheatre

hippodrome

fortress

triumphal arch

theatre

aquaduct

G

H

I

J

K

L

How to become a Roman?

Many people in the empire did not just imitate the Romans, they wanted to be Roman citizens. This gave you many rights: as a Roman you had better protection by law, you were allowed to own land in Italy, you could vote in the assemblies and could hold a political office.

There were a few ways to join Roman citizenry. You become a member of a Roman family, either by means of adoption or marriage.

In that last case citizenship would start with your children. Many young men tried to become Roman by serving in the army for twenty-five years. Afterwards you received a diploma that stated that you were now a Roman citizen. You would then have all the rights of a Roman.

source 2.9.2

A Roman legionair (present-day drawing).

source 2.9.3

A diploma of a Batavian soldier, proving he served time in the army. The diploma, dated 98 AD, was found at Elst.

Batavians in the personal guard of the emperor

Some of the best jobs in the empire were held by people who had yet to earn Roman citizenship. For instance, the personal guard of the emperor included Batavians. These men from what is now called the Netherlands could find themselves in high places. Sometimes literally, as some Batavians were stationed at Hadrian’s wall (England). They were there to man the wall and protect the empire from the Scottish Celts.

We found some personal letters there that these Batavians sent home. These letters were written in Latin, not in the Germanic dialect that the Batavians used to speak. So either the Batavians became very Romanised in only one century, or there were people in the Roman army that would write down messages for soldiers. They would then be read or translated for the Batavians back home. The Romans rotated troops from different parts of the empire to keep the peace. So army service not only got you citizenship, it also got you places!

source 2.9.6

Modern map of the Netherlands in Roman times. The Batavians lived in today's Betuwe region.

source 2.9.7

Modern reconstructions of Batavian cavalry soldiers (in the Roman army)

source 2.9.8

Modern map of Britain and Scotland with Hadrian's Wall (a wall built by order of emperor Hadrian)

source 2.9.9

Modern reconstructions of one of the many Roman milecastles along Hadrian's Wall

Local people were not allowed to be the garrison in their own territory after 69 AD. The Romans feared locals were too likely to side with their people against Rome.

Some Batavians were stationed at Hadrian’s Wall in England. They were there to protect the empire from the Scottish Celts. So army service not only got you citizenship, it also got you places!

source 2.9.10

Modern reconstructions of a Batavian cavalry soldier's armour and equipment.

source 2.9.11

military mask of a Batavian soldier, 1st century AD. Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen.

69 AD

Batavian

Revolt

Emperor

Vespasian

Bread and Games

Another thing the Romans brought was entertainment. Roman leaders knew that people remain happy if you feed and entertain them. Or, to quote Julius Caesar: “give them bread and games”. The Romans liked to organise gladiator games in amphitheaters.

Amphitheaters are oval shaped theaters, like the Colosseum in Rome. Gladiators, who were trained slaves, would fight each other, wild animals or criminals. In other events criminals had to fight wild animals. Sometimes they just executed people between events. In the late 1st and 2nd centuries, Christians were also thrown into the arena to die as entertainment for the spectators.

source 2.9.12

Roman amphitheater in Nimes (France) from the 1st century AD.

source 2.9.13

Roman wall painting of a gladiato fighting a wild animal. 1st century AD

Give an example of Romanisation
What would a Batavian do to become like a Roman

One balloon challenge