Read Boatswain Ch. 5 (pp. 37-45) and skim Mitford's "Roman Cyprus". How did Cyprus fare in the period of the early empire (1st century BC to 3rd c. AD)? Beyond summarizing, try to categorize the information from Boatswain and Mitford. What do we know and not know about life on the island during this period?
It appears that under Roman rule from the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD, Cyprus was a relatively peaceful and stable island. There were no fleets stationed at Cyprus, unlike in other times when it was extensively used as a strategic point for the military. While Cyprus was still heavily mined, it played a lesser role in trade and the Mediterranean world in general. Though under Roman rule, it remained quite Hellenistic in culture, and only gradually came to have more Roman qualities. It is also known that emperor worship was present on the island; however, Judaism and Christianity remained strong influences.
While there is quite a bit known about the structure of government and it appears that Cyprus was well-governed under the Romans (largely due to the fact that Cyprus was considered a “stepping stone” in political careers and corruption was therefore limited), there are still some questions about the government of Cyprus and also how Romans viewed the island. As Mitford shows, Roman citizenship was limited in the island, very few upperclass Romans took an interest in Cyprus, and the island was not used extensively for trade and its beneficial location in the Mediterranean. There is still much to be known about social life and entertainment in Cyprus during this time.
One of the things we do not know much about in the early empire is the details of Cicero’s rain as governor of Cyprus. This is not the most urgent question in the world, but it would be interesting to know more about how he governed Cyprus after the Civil War, and his relationship to Octavian. It might also help to know how the governor was chosen. Was the governor appointed by the Senate? Or was the governor for all intense and purposes nominated by the Emperor and “rubber stamped” by the governors. This might help to shed more light on the transition from Republic to Empire.
One thing that we do know is that Rome greatly shaped Cyprus at the time of their occupation both physically and culturally. One thing that stuck out to me in the readings was that both authors mentioned the infrastructure that Rome infused into Cyprus. Boatswain references a road that was build spanning the entire coast (38) and also the impressive public buildings that were built by the Romans. Also Romans brought with them there mining techniques which produced trading material.
Rome also influenced the religion of Cyprus. As referenced by Boatswain, Cyprus was the destination of several Christian missions, including one with the Apostle Paul. So we know that under Roman control came Christianity which gained the following of nearly all of cyprus at one point. Also, emerging was a greek speeking christian culture (46). This was a far eastern Post of Christianity. Along with Christian Rule came the outlawing of most things that where pagan and the older religions of Cyprus. So, Along with the Romans came the "modernizing" of both culture and infrastructure that helped carry Cyprus into the medieval age and into a more "modern" state at the time.
One of the things that struck me was the large Jewish population that inhabited Cyprus during the Roman period. This raises an important question, mainly why are there Israelites on Cyprus around 100 AD. The population seems to have been considerable since in 116 AD there was a major Jewish rebellion in Egypt, Palestine, and Cyprus. They supposedly—according to Boatswain—killed over 200,000 gentiles. The rebellion was suppressed only after a full-scale invasion was mounted from the Empire. After the rebellion all the Jews were expelled from the island. It might also be interesting to consider what effect the Jews, like the Romans as Kyle pointed out, had on the culture of the island.
Alex, the emphasis placed on the disruption caused by the rebellion also caught my attention. Another question that would be interesting to research is when the Jewish population was allowed or started to be reintroduced to Cyprus. And, did the expulsion have cultural effects?
The part about the infrastructure caught my attention as well. Not only were roads constructed, but there were also public squares, gymnasia, and theaters. It is wonder why since the Romans were having such a large influence that the cultural tradition remained Hellenistic. There were still Greek art forms, literature, mosaics depicting Greek mythology, and the Greek language was dominant. Looking at it from the other side is also interesting because the Cypriot goods were being sold all throughout the Roman Empire, and I think that demonstrates how both mutually benefited from the situation in Cyprus.
I think one important thing that's missing is mentioned by Mitford. In 22 B.C. Cyprus "for reasons which escape us" was looked upon with disfavor by the Romans. It is interesting that all of the other island nations were given incentives to grow and prosper, but not Cyprus. Perhaps the emperors lumped the island nation together with the Egyptians who had fallen out of favor. But why would the Roman Empire choose not to make a potentially prosperous island and even greater source of wealth? Although they did exploit the mines of Cyprus, there were no upper-class Roman citizens who made their homes on the island, which indicates that the island was not on the "in" with the Roman people.
Melissa brings up a good point about the Roman attitude toward Cyprus. As I read the articles I was puzzled by the fact that the Romans during this time seemed to be one of the few (if the only of the rulers of Cyprus) to not utilize the strategic placement of the island for military and trade purposes. It seems unusual that an empire that had so much influence would choose to not take advantage of the island. Or – and please forgive me, ancient Roman history is not my strength – perhaps it is because of the extent of their power that they did not need to use the island in such a way. It will be interesting though, to see if any more light can be shed on this relationship in the future with continued research and excavation.
Yes, and something I noticed (in my post way down at yonder end of page) was how Mitford mentioned that no Cypriot is known to have held any position of authority within the Empire (1345).
Cypriot goods were traded within the Empire and Cyprus was allowed to participate inwards, but there doesn't seem to have been too much of an outward engagement by the Romans of the island. This probably helped with the stability and peace, though (which is mentioned in Caitlin's first post at the top of the page).
I am also interested to know why the Romans did not take advantage of the full potential of the island. Cyprus was famous for its fertility in Antiquity, according to Mitford, and the mines were being used, but I fail to see why these materials and products were not being traded. Mitford said that there is no evidence that corn was exported to Italy. As Melissa mentioned, the Roman emperors could have lumped Cyprus in with the Egyptians as their enemies, but is that any reason not to include Cyprus along trade routes and trade the agricultural and mining resources?
I was also confused when i read that Rome rarely had a military force on Cyprus and was not taking full advantage of Cyprus. The area in which Cyprus is positioned puts it in position to be a trade center possibly. Also i feel that this may have benefited the citizens of Cyprus because this meant less Roman presence on the island and could have allowed the citizens of Cyprus a little more freedom. The lack of military presence allowed Cyprus to me more self sustaining and governing.
During this time, Cyprus was generally peaceful and stable. One thing that really interested me was Boatswain's details about the Imperial Cult. This was used to force and secure loyalty to the emperor, which was a practice the Romans got from Hellenistic culture. It would be interesting to know how this was maintained and if those practices contributed in any way to the stability on the island.
Something that is mentioned, but not in great detail, was that the island was divided into four districts. It says the purpose was for administration and dispensation of the law, but that's the extent of the description. Did these districts affect anything? How did they contribute, if at all, to the dynamics of Cyprus during this time? This might be connected to what Caitlin previously said about the government structure being unknown. The districts are most likely a result of the government at the time and it would be beneficial to understand the reasoning and effects.
In the period of the early empire, Cyprus can be classified as self-sufficient, as Mitford explained. Despite its positioning and previous usefulness in trading and being a strategic military point, none of these uses were exploited by the Romans. The Romans did continue their mining efforts, but other than that, the island was basically on its own. It was not located around any trade routes and the Romans basically let the people of Cyprus do their own thing. The Greek culture was still a huge part of the island; Augustus even rebuilt the temple of Aphrodite after it was damaged by an earthquake. Also, a villa that supposedly belonged to a Roman governor was adorned with Greek mosaics. It seems the only real difference in Cyprus was the change to Roman government.
I am also interested to know why there was no military presence on Cyprus. The emperors most likely lumped Cyprus in their group of enemies, along with the Egyptians, and you would think that an island that is considered an enemy would have some military presence on it. Also, a military presence would have easily stopped the Jewish rebellion from spreading so fast on the island.
Rachel makes a great point, something I didn't really think about. Those four districts, how exactly were they divided? Perhaps by economic class? Or is it simply a geographic division? There are many things that remain unknown concerning the government, which would greatly contribute to our understanding of the island. This is where written records are essential, stealing from the discussion of another topic. There best way to learn about the government would be to studying any and all written records, which is where Mitford is on the right track.
I got the impression that the districts were just divided geographically. Boatswain talks about it on p. 38—four districts: North (Lapithos), East (Salamis), South (Amathus), West (Paphos).
I like Rachel's questions regarding how this division would have affected the islands political/economic/cultural dynamics. Similarly we could ask if any of the other governmental organizations had any affect: such as, did Cyprus being in the Syrian province at one point increase interaction with the east, or was it simply a matter of Roman convenience.
This question of military presence is one that interests me as well. As an area of great connections between trade routes, one would expect the island to have problems with bandits and pirates. I'm aware of the anti-piracy campaigns taken by the Roman emperors, but I would still expect them to exist, or at least be enough of a threat to warrant some type of military. Boatswain mentions how in the first century BC the Romans didn't see the island as "military sensitive and there were no legions stationed there." (37) However I suppose they really needn't have been worried about too much on Cyprus. Unless I'm mistaken, during the "Pax Romana" period the Roman empire completely ringed and controlled the Mediterranean Sea, meaning that their concerns for military fortification were clearly not on an island inside of their empire. There was a period a peace, which likely meant that issues such as piracy were easily dealt with. Following this was the period then where Rome went on the defensive, and rather than expanding it was defending its borders from various nations, and barbarians in the north. Rome couldn't and needn't have spared a legion for the island after the Pax Romana, and probably wouldn't have needed to during it either.