The ‘legacy’ of Rome : the rise, decline, and fall of the theory of Romanization

In this paper three interrelated topics will be discussed. First, I will explore how some British academics, administrators and politicians actively used the Roman Empire to help identify and define their own aspirations, and in so doing drew a parallel between Britain and Rome. In discussing this topic, I will provide a brief consideration of the work of Francis Haverfield, a pioneer of Romano-British archaeological studies. Second, I will show how some contemporary scholars retain a positive conception of the Roman experience, and identify some of the ways in which this affects present-day Roman archaeology. Third, I will consider some ideas that are currently promoted by post-colonial studies – ideas that can be taken to suggest an urgent need for a change in Roman studies. I shall also consider what this change might involve. In discussing these three topics I will adopt an approach which is polemical in character. Such a study must aim to respect historical accuracy but, in propounding a strong line of argument, does not seek historiographical completeness (Fabian 1983, 38).