John Ma (Columbia University)
Title
Autonomy and the social history of empire: the Helvetii in 69 CE
The material record for North-eastern Gaul in the late Latenian and early Roman periods offers a fruitful opportunity to explore the social archaeology of empire. In particular, the archaeology of "Roman Switzerland", as well the remarkable funerary archaeology of the land of the Treviri (Luxemburg / Belgium), can be studied with the literary and documentary sources for first century BCE. The interest (and the difficulty) of the exercise lies in trying to define a scale of interaction at which the crucial role of the local civitates and their status and institutions can be seen in action, within a cultural and political koine in Gallia Belgica ca 50 BCE-ca 75 CE.
Monday, November 4, 5pm
3335 Dwinelle Hall
During his visit, Professor Ma will also give a seminar:
Title
Writing the history of the polis: pitfalls and prospects
This seminar will range across questions of stateness, community formation and social history in the Greek city-state, taking as its starting point J. Ma's recent survey of polis history. Themes may include the best way to study the archaic polis, the problem of unity and diversity (with test cases), the question of "serfdom" and dependent labour, the use and abuse of archaeology, and the relationships between state, society and economy.
Tuesday, November 5, 4pm
3401 Dwinelle Hall