This book results from a colloquium arranged by the Institute of Historical Research — Section of Greek and Roman Antiquity (KERA) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation in collaboration with the French School at Athens. In addition to the editors’ Introduction, it contains twenty-one contributions in French and English on four ‘thèmes principaux’ (xiii–xiv): administration, economy, urbanism and ‘pratiques sociales, culturelles et cultuelles’. The papers deal mainly with the period from the early second century b.c. to the third century a.d. The ‘northern Aegean’ in practice seems to mean mainly the eastern part of the Roman province of Macedonia (as contrasted with the ‘Illyrian’ western part) and the southern part of the province of Thrace — mainly, but not exclusively, regions now belonging to Greece.
R. Haensch discusses the ‘face’ (‘visage’) of Roman rule in Macedonia, the first Roman province (from 146 b.c.) in the East (1–18). This is an interesting paper on many aspects of Roman rule, including the use of Latin in the province, often illustrated by material from other Eastern provinces (including Egypt). Haensch draws especial attention to the bilingual inscription LIA 231 from Amantia (now in Albania), the last three lines of which (one in Greek, two in Latin) he interprets as the subscriptio or perhaps as a decree dealing with the local corn supply, by a proconsul who seems to have been called Varianus Sospes. Haensch also points out (9–11) the interest of the documents recording visits of Roman magistrates to the sanctuary of Samothrace, all of them apparently functioning in Macedonia rather than in the neighbouring province Thracia, to which Samothrace seems to have belonged. (One wonders how this can be reconciled with Marcian, Dig. 1.18.15: provincial governors permitted to leave their provinces exclusively voti solvendi causa, provided they did not have to spend the night outside the province.)
P. Delev (19–27) studies the ‘Roman attitude towards the Thracians’ in the last two centuries b.c., the focus being on interior, rather than coastal Thrace. The Greek cities on the Aegean coast (but also Byzantion, Apollonia and Anchialos) and their relations with the client kingdom of Thrace are the subject of Parissaki's paper (29–40) which treats the period between the mid-first century b.c. and a.d. 46, when the Roman province of Thrace was established. As for Byzantion, Parissaki stresses the fact that this was ‘la plus forte communauté de negotiatores Italiens’ (37–8). M. H. Sayar deals with ‘the Roman administration of Thracian Chersonese’ (41–9), especially I.Ephesos 3048 and ILS 1419 with their mentions of an ἐπαρχεία Χερσονήσου and a regio Chersonesi.
Three numismatic papers follow. E. Apostolou and Ch. Papageorgiadou tackle the coins of Rhoemetalces I found in Greece (51–62), and Chr. Gatzolis and S. E. Psoma (62–77) discuss ‘coinages issued to serve Roman interests’ by Thasos, Maroneia, Apollonia, Dyrrachium and Athens in the second and first centuries b.c., these coinages being contrasted with that of Histiaia, a Macedonian ally. M. Amandry and S. Kremydi investigate the ‘penetration of the denarius in Macedonia and the circulation of local bronze coinage’ between the second century b.c. and the second century a.d. (79–115).
P. Ernst studies ‘the complexity of the cultural contacts between Hellenism and Romanity’ in the northern Aegean on the basis of four bilingual or Latin inscriptions from Thessalonica and a passage of Plutarch (117–28). Some thoughts about bilingual and Latin epigraphy in Thessalonica in general would also have been welcome. A. D. Rizakis and I. Touratsoglou deal with the ‘choix culturels et profils identitaires’ as illustrated by the form, iconography and language of the funerary monuments of Philippi, a Macedonian city which became a Roman colony in 42 b.c. (129–62). This is an instructive contribution well equipped with illustrations, contrasting Philippi proper with its territory. C. Brélaz, the author of many studies on Philippi and now also of the monograph Philippes, colonie romaine d'Orient (2018), studies the impact of the founding of the colony on the region (163–82). The paper includes observations on people moving to Philippi and from Philippi to other cities in the region, especially Thessalonica (which offered economic opportunities, 173), Amphipolis, Serrhae, Thasos and Kalindoia. Brélaz stresses (170) that Philippi ‘did not serve as a center attracting the elite from the whole region’, in stark contrast to Corinth.
J. Demaille studies the population of Italian origin of Dion, where a colony was founded in perhaps 44 b.c. (184) and again in around 30 b.c.; according to Demaille, they included veterans, supporters of Pompey and (in the refoundation) Mark Antony, but also negotiatores and others. This study is essentially a discussion of the c. 50 Roman family names attested in Dion, assigned to the following categories: veterans, ‘proletarian colonists and Italian dispossessed’, freedmen, negotiatores. In contrast to Philippi, the tribe assigned to the colonists of Dion cannot be established (193).
In the title of his contribution on Roman names on Thasos (201–31), Fournier speaks of ‘citoyens romains’, but in his paper he refers to ‘Italiens d'origine, sinon de naissance’ and even of people ‘d'origine … latine’ (207). Persons of Italian origin can, he claims, be identified on the basis of the use of names which are ‘purement latins’. This is a useful survey of the 63 nomina attested on Thasos (206), with frequent references to other cities in the area as far as Thrace; interestingly, imperial nomina are well represented and the most common nomen is Aurelius.
The focus of the volume now turns to archaeological matters. C. Blein (233–61) uses a ‘systematic repertory of the archaeological sites of the Hellenistic and Roman periods’ in order to study ‘the consequences of Roman domination on the patterns of occupation’ (233) in central Macedonia (Bottiaea, Pieria, etc.). From the tables and maps (250–61), it appears that quite a number of sites were not occupied after the Hellenistic period, although there are also many sites attested only in the Roman period.
M. Zarmakoupi surveys ‘urban space and housing in Roman Macedonia’, i.e. in Thessalonica, Amphipolis, Philippi and Dion (263–97). This is an informed paper well illustrated by plans. The ‘Conclusions’ include some interesting observations on other Macedonian sites (Pella, Aegae, Beroea). In his paper on ‘How to estimate the regional importance of the colony of Philippi in the light of architectural data?’ (299–319), M. Sève argues that Philippi was in reality a modest place, but with impressive architectural remains (300). In the case of the forum, this could be explained by assuming that it was planned at about the same time and perhaps by the same people as that of Thessalonica, a much larger city (319).
V. Di Napoli (321–40) offers a survey of the ‘buildings of entertainment’ in ‘Macedonia proper and in Aegean Thrace’, mainly theatres and odea. Amphitheatres, in any case rare in Roman Greece (339), are not attested in these parts, but there is abundant evidence for gladiatorial games; it appears that they were held in transformed and modified theatres (338–9). Gladiatorial games in Macedonia, Thrace and Thasos are the subject of M. Ducros’ paper (341–56), which surveys the inscriptions mentioning gladiators and games from Beroea in the west to Perinthos in the east. A detail: the consul Maesius Titianus should not be described having arranged gladiatorial games in Thessalonica in a.d. 245 (346); in the relevant inscription he appears only in the dating formula. Gladiatorial games, their organisation, their documentation and their relation to the imperial cult in the province of Thrace are treated briefly by M. C. Streinu (357–62).
The last three papers deal with various archaeological monuments. K. G. Chatzinikolaou (362–75) presents four imperial-period votive reliefs to Artemis in the archaeological museum in Thessaloniki. D. Boteva (377–88) stresses the difference between monuments depicting the ‘Heros equitans’ and the ‘Thracian rider(s)’ (379–80). Finally, Th. Stefanidou-Tiveriou studies two interesting late antique columnar monuments from Thessaloniki (389–419). The volume closes with detailed indexes of sources, Roman gentes, persons, geographical names and deities. For those interested in the ‘Aegean’ regions of Roman Macedonia and Thrace, this book will be of great service.
