Tota Italia : essays in the cultural formation of Roman Italy

The aim of the book is to present the path the Romans followed in shaping the culture of the ruling classes of the Allies between the years of the conquest in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC and the age of Augustus, when a unified culture of Italy emerges as a pillar of imperial power. Taking an anthropological approach, Mario Torelli places special emphasis on the religious values and cult traditions that developed during the archaic period and the early attempts to colonize Latium, and which were subsequently spread by the Romans throughout Italy by means of Latin colonies. Formal temples of Latin (or, in south Italy, Greek) tradition enjoyed a special prestige among the Italic tribes and played a fundamental role in the construction of the urban ideal, one of the main principles of cultural transformation. The book also puts under scrutiny the survival of indigenous peoples in particular areas, such as Daunia and Lucania, and great attention is given to the evidence provided by such ethnic groups of resistance and counter-acculturation in Etruria, Lucania, and elsewhere in Italy "The aim of this book is to present the path the Romans followed in shaping the culture of the ruling classes of the Allies between the years of the conquest in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC and the age of Augustus, when a unified culture of Italy emerges as a pillar of imperial power. Taking an anthropological approach, Mario Torelli places special emphasis on the religious values and cult traditions that developed during the archaic period and the early attempts to colonize Latium, and which were subsequently spread by the Romans throughout Italy by means of Latin colonies."--Jacket

This book describes how the Romans succeeded in changing the culture of the ruling classes of the Italian Allies during the imperial age. Evidence for this is primarily found in the archaeological record, but Torelli includes in his analysis the literary tradition and epigraphical evidence. Adopting an anthropological perspective, special emphasis is placed on the religious values and cult traditions of the Romans and their unifying role.