The Social War was a war fought between the Romans and an array of Italian communities who had lived under Roman hegemony for as much 250 years (with a hiatus for some during Hannibal’s invasion). Together, they had achieved incredible things, conquering most of the Mediterranean. The war ended with these Italians being enfranchised as citizens, and for most of history, people have assumed that this is what the Italians wanted all along. They wanted the perks of being Roman citizens. Mouritsen, however, has argued that this is not what they wanted; instead, he argues that they wanted out, that they wanted independence, and did not want to keep fighting in the Roman army under Roman consuls.
Is Mouritsen right? Is Mouritsen wrong? Examine the primary sources. Be sure to place them in their context to gain a sense of what they reveal. When is the author writing, for whom is the author writing, about which allies is he writing, and when in the war’s narrative is the text set?
Readings:
Social War Readings.pdf
Mouritsen, H. 1998. Italian Unification: A Study in Ancient and Modern Historiography. Institute of Classical Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London: Mouritsen Italian Unification III.pdf
For other approaches:
The most detailed account (with analysis) is Dart. (2014). The Social War, 91 to 88 BCE: A History of the Italian Insurgency against the Roman Republic. Taylor & Francis Group: ch. 4, with the start of ch. 5
Gabba, E. 1976. Republican Rome, The Army and The Allies. Berkeley: ch. 3
Patterson, J.R. 2012. “Contact, Co-Operation, and Conflict in Pre-Social War Italy,” in Roselaar, S. (ed.),Processes of Integration and Identity Formation in the Roman Republic: 215-26
Oxford citation: https://oxfordre.com/classics/page/ocdabbreviations
