The history of the Greek cities of Italy during the period of Roman conquest and under Roman rule form a fascinating case study of the processes of Roman expansion and assimilation and of Greek reactions to the presence of Rome. This book reassesses the role of Magna Graecia in Roman Italy and illuminates the mechanisms of Roman control and the process of acculturation. Specifically it explores the role of the Greek cities of Italy as cultural mediators between the Greek and Roman worlds. It is the first full length treatment of the region as a whole in English for over thirty years.

Cities in the ancient world relied on private generosity to provide many basic amenities, as well as expecting leading citizens to pay for bread and circuses - free food and public entertainment. This collection of essays by leading scholars from the UK and USA explores the important phenomenon of benefaction and public patronage in Roman Italy. Ranging from the late republican period to the later Roman Empire, the contributions cover a wide range of topics, including the impact of benefactions and benefactors on the urban development of Roman Italy, on cultural and economic activity, and on...

This book includes papers from a conference held at the Institute of Classical Studies, London, in June 2006.

This text reassesses the role of Magna Graecia in Roman Italy and illuminates the mechanisms of Roman control and the processes of acculturation. The history of the Greek cities of Italy during the period of Roman conquest and under Roman rule form a fascinating case study of the processes of Roman expansion.