Ancient Mediterranean
romans   ROMANI

Romans (mod); Rhomaioi (Gk)
synecdoche applying civic designation for entire empire




bithynians celts christians dacians egyptians ethiopians germans goths greeks huns indians judeans phoenicians latins macedonians numidians parthians persians pergamenes pontus romans etruscans syrians osco-umbrians

kinship
• descent from Romulus (Livy 1.4-6)
• use of trinomina (the "three names"—praenomen, nomen gentilicum, cognomen) to designate membership in a gens; see nomenclature handout

language
• Latin (Indo-European language family), shared with most members of the Latin League

religion

• triad of Ivppiter Optimvs Maximvs ("best" and "greatest"), Ivno Moneta ("warning"), Minerva
Ivppiter Latiaris of the Alban Mount and Diana of Aricia (shared sanctuaries of the Latin League)
Vesta (sacred civic hearth)
Ivno Regina (Etr. Uni, evocatio from Veii)
Venvs (Phoen. Aštart, from Eryx)
Magna Mater (Cybele, from Pessinus)
• priestly colleges led by pontifex maximvs (pontifices, avgvres, epvlones, flamines, XVviri)


customs
civic identity with rights acquired through birth to free parents (possessing convbivm), through manvmittio (by a Roman citizen) or through honorific award (individually or collectively)
marked by:
• enrollment into a Roman tribvs
• taking a nomen gentilicvm
• wearing the toga virilis