Romanization was a gradual process of cultural assimilation, in which the conquered "barbarians" (non-Greco-Romans) gradually adopted and largely replaced their own native culture (which in many cases were quite developed, like the culture of the Gauls or Carthage) with the culture of their conquerors - the Romans. The acculturation proceeded from the top down, the upper classes adopting Roman culture first and the old ways lingering longest in outlying districts among peasants; the identification of countryfolk as pagani is discussed at pagan. Cultural Assimilation, or assimilation for short (but that word also had other meanings), is an intense process of consistent integration whereby members of an ethno-cultural group, typically immigrants, or other minority groups, are absorbed into an established, generally larger community. ... barbarians is a mini-series on the history channel which tells the story of four of the most barbariac tribes of the early and late middle ages. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Classical antiquity. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin Gallia, Greek Galatia) was the region of Western Europe occupied by present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Carthaginian settlements in the western Mediterranean. ... Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism. ...

Process of romanization

It was a slow and gradual process, taking several decades. First, it began with the military conquest itself. Many times the Romans were invited by local rulers, who either: A ruler is an instrument used in geometry and technical drawing to measure short distances and/or to rule straight lines. ...

• A) had been expelled by rivals from inside the tribe or city-state and wanted to return home and to their position.
• B) were being conquered by another tribe and subjugated themselves to Rome, as long Roman troops came to "save" them.
• C) left their kingdoms to Rome by will (for example Attalus III of Pergamon).
• other times the Romans did not have such "excuses" and began a conquest because of internal reasons or because they simply wanted to expand their empire.

After the conquest: City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC (mythical), early 1st millennium BC (archaeological) Region Latium Area  - City Proper  1285 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... Attalus III was the last Attalid king of Pergamum, ruling from 138 BC to 133 BC. He succeeded Attalus II, although their relationship, if any, is unknown. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

• many warriors of the defeated and hostile enemy would be dead and others would be sold as slaves.
• any tribal chieftain or local city-ruler who was friendly and cooperated with Rome was reaffirmed in his position and was rewarded with land and loot from a defeated hostile tribe or hostile state.
• the local nobility was many times rewarded with Roman citizenship and simple bribes in a (largely successful) attempt to gain their loyalty.
• a series of military outposts were built.
• some Roman legions were stationed in strategic positions.
• roads would also be built, linking the nascent military colonies to each other, to the frontiers and to Rome.
• these roads had the triple effect of:
  • A) facilitating any movement of the Roman legions.
  • B) facilitating communications.
  • C) reinforcing the transport of people, goods and ideas (in effect trade).

• in due time, several Roman veterans would be discharged and were rewarded with previously confiscated patches of land in the local area.
• these veterans would either:
  • A) bring their sweetheart from "back home".
  • B) marry a native girl, thereby intermarrying with the local population.

• meanwhile, local warriors would enlist in the Roman military as Auxilia (somewhat similar to the modern French Foreign Legion) and at the end of their military service would also be rewarded with Roman citizenship. During their service they would certainly learn Latin and adopt, to a certain extent, Roman culture.
• the local rulers and the local nobility would "improve" their property (e.g. their house), "themselves" and more importantly, their children following Roman fashions, ideals and traditions. They would go to a local Roman school in a nearby Roman colony or, dependent on their wealth, have a Greek and/or a Roman tutor(s) who would give them Roman education and also impart them with Roman culture.
• Roman temples would be built and many local gods were assimilated with corresponding Roman gods, others survived and "conquered" the Romans themselves. This process was greatly facilitated by the ready adoption of the "native" gods by the Romans. One has to remember that most of cultures in that time were Polytheists (worshipers of many gods). A proverbial Roman might not worship a Egyptian god like Amun (the proverbial Egyptian would) he would worship Jupiter (the Egyptian wouldn't), but he would readily accept and believe in the existence of Amun (vice-versa for the Egyptian).
  • in a latter stage of the Roman Empire some of these temples were dedicated to the Divine Emperor. There, loyal citizens would worship the reigning emperor and show their respect to past emperors in a display of loyalty to the Roman Empire and the Emperor, in a fashion very roughly similar to the modern Oath of allegiance.

It has been suggested that Chattel slavery be merged into this article or section. ... The toga was the characteristic garment of the Roman citizen. ... A modern reconstruction of a roman centurion around 70 AD The Roman legion (from Latin , from lego, legere, legi, lectus — to collect) was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army. ... Colonies in antiquity were city-states founded from a mother-city, not from a territory-at-large. ... A fruit stand at a market. ... A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning old) is a person who is experienced in a particular area, and is particularly used to refer to people in the armed forces. ... Marriage is a relationship that plays a key role in the definition of many families. ... A warrior is a person habitually engaged in war and/or skilled in the waging of war. ... The term auxiliaries comes from latin auxilia, name for non-citizen troops supporting Roman legions. ... The French Foreign Legion (French: Légion Étrangère) is a unique unit within the French Army established in 1831. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... The Akshardham Hindu temple (mandir), Delhi, India, 2005 The Ecclesia, the Rosicrucian healing temple, Oceanside, California, United States, 1920 The Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2003 St. ... Roman mythology can be considered as two parts. ... Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. ... Amun (also spelt Amon, Amoun, Amen, and rarely Imenand, and spelt in Greek as Ammon, and Hammon) was the name of a deity, in Egyptian mythology, who gradually rose to become one of the most important deities, before fading into obscurity. ... Jupiter et Thétis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ... The Imperial cult in Ancient Rome was the worship of the Roman Emperor as a god. ... An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges his duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to his monarch or country. ...

Results of romanization

all this slowly culminated in many gradual cultural developments:

• adoption of Roman names.
• gradual adoption of the Latin language. This process was greatly facilitated by the simple fact that many cultures were mostly illiterate (particularly the Gauls and Iberians) and anyone who wanted to deal (through writing) with the bureaucracy or with the roman market was forced to write in Latin. The extent of this "adoption" is subject to on-going debate, as the native tongues were certainly spoken after any conquest. Moreover, in the eastern half of the empire, Latin had to compete with Greek which largely kept its position as lingua franca and even spread to new areas. Latin became prominent in certain areas around new veteran colonies like Berytus.
• replacement of the ancient tribal laws by Roman law, with its institutions of property rights.
• the dissemination of typically Roman institutions such as public baths, the Emperor cult and gladiator fights.

In due time, the conquered would see themselves as Romans. A name is a label for a thing, person, place, product (as in a brand name) and even an idea or concept, normally used to distinguish one from another. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin Gallia, Greek Galatia) was the region of Western Europe occupied by present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... The Lady of Baza, made by Iberians or Celtiberians The Iberians arrived in Spain sometime in the third millennium B.C., although their arrival has been dated as early as 4000 B.C. Most scholars believe the Iberians came from a region farther east in the Mediterranean, although some have... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ... Colonies in antiquity were city-states founded from a mother-city, not from a territory-at-large. ... Central Beirut Beirut (Arabic: ‎ translit: ) is the capital, largest city, and chief seaport of Lebanon. ... Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome. ... Roman public baths in Bath, England. ... Pollice Verso, an 1872 painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, is a well known history painters researched conception of a gladiatorial combat. ...

This process was supported by the Roman Republic and by its successor the Roman Empire. See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... For other senses of this name, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ...

The entire process was facilitated by the fact that many of the local languages had the same Indo-European origin and by the similarity of the gods of many ancient cultures. They also already had had trade relations and contacts with each other through the seafaring Mediterranean cultures like the Phoenicians and the Greeks. The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred languages and dialects (443 according to the SIL estimate), including most of the major languages of Europe, as well as many in Southwest Asia, Central Asia and Southern Asia. ... Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plains of what are now Lebanon and Syria. ...

Questions Over Validity of Concept

In recent years historian such as Greg Woolfe have questioned the extent to which Romanization is a useful analytical concept. Woolfe sees 'Romanization' as reliant upon the arbitrary allocation of labels such as 'Roman' and 'Native' to various cultural and material elements with little or no firm reasoning to do so. Such and similar thinkers are critical of the dominance Haverfield's "The Romanization of Roman Britian" have had over the subject and believe it is time for archeological and historical discourse to move on.

References

• "The Complete Roman Army" written by Adrian Goldsworthy published by Thames & Hudson ISBN 0-500-05124-0
• Francisco Marco Simón, "Religion and Religious Practices of the Ancient Celts of the Iberian Peninsula" in e-Keltoi: The Celts in the Iberian Peninsula, 6 287-345 (on-line) Interpretatio and the Romanization of Celtic deities.