Books by Jeremy Armstrong
J. Armstrong, A.J. Pomeroy, and D. Rosenbloom, Money, Warfare and Power in the Ancient World: Stu... more J. Armstrong, A.J. Pomeroy, and D. Rosenbloom, Money, Warfare and Power in the Ancient World: Studies in Honour of Matthew Freeman Trundle. London: Bloomsbury, 2024. This volume memorializes the life and work of our dear friend and colleague, Matthew Trundle.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Armstrong, J. and A. Rhodes-Schroder (eds), Adoption, Adaption, and Innovation in Pre-Roman Italy: Paradigms for Cultural Change. Brepols: Turnhout, , 2023
The ancient Mediterranean basin was once thought to be populated by large, monolithic, cultural-p... more The ancient Mediterranean basin was once thought to be populated by large, monolithic, cultural-political entities. In this conception, ‘the Greeks’, ‘the Romans’, and other stable and homogenous cultures interacted and vied for supremacy like early modern states or empires. Today, however, thanks largely to an ever-increasing archaeological record, critical and sensitive approaches to the literary evidence, and the impact and application of new theoretical approaches, the ancient Mediterranean region is instead argued to be full of dynamic microcultures organized in a fluid set of overlapping networks. While this atomization of culture has resulted in more interesting and accurate micro-histories, it has also challenged how we understand cultural interaction and change.
This volume draws on this new understanding of cultural identity and contact to address the themes of adoption, adaption, and innovation in Pre-Roman Italy from the 9th–3rd centuries BCE. The contributors to this volume build upon recent paradigm shifts in research that challenge traditional Hellenocentric models and work to establish a new set of frameworks for approaching the tangled question of how ‘indigenous’ and ’foreign’ features relate to one another in the material record. Using focused case-studies, ranging from the role played by mobile populations in transferring ideas and technologies to the different ways in which ‘foreign’ artistic elements were used by Italian peoples, the volume explores what the — now commonly accepted — connectedness of a wider Mediterranean world meant for the people of Italy in practical terms, and offers new models for how concepts and ideas were transmitted, reinterpreted, repurposed, and re-appropriated in early Italy to fit within their local context.
https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503602325-1
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Armstrong, J. and S. Cohen (eds) (2022) Production, Trade, and Connectivity in Pre-Roman Italy. Routledge: London. , 2022
This book explores the complex relationship between production, trade, and connectivity in pre-Ro... more This book explores the complex relationship between production, trade, and connectivity in pre-Roman Italy, confronting established ideas about the connections between people, objects, and ideas, and highlighting how social change and community formation are rooted in individual interactions.
The volume engages with, and builds upon, recent paradigm shifts in the archaeology and history of the ancient Mediterranean which have centred the social and economic processes that produce communities. It utilises a series of case studies, encompassing the production, trade, and movement of objects and people, to explore new models for how production is organised and the recursive relationship which exists between the cultural and economic spheres of human society. The contributions address issues of agency and production at multiple scales of analysis, from larger theoretical discussions of trade and identity across different regions to context-specific explorations of production techniques and the distribution of material culture across the Italian peninsula.
Production, Trade, and Connectivity in Pre-Roman Italy is intended for students and scholars interested in the archaeology and history of pre-Roman and early Republican Italy, but especially production, trade, community formation, and identity. Those interested in issues of cultural interaction and material change in the ancient Mediterranean world will find useful comparative examples and methodological approaches throughout.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Armstrong, J. and M.P. Fronda (eds.) Romans at War: Soldiers, Citizens, and Society in the Roman Republic. Routledge: London., 2019
This volume addresses the fundamental importance of the army, warfare, and military service to th... more This volume addresses the fundamental importance of the army, warfare, and military service to the development of both the Roman Republic and wider Italic society in the second half of the first millennium BC. It brings together emerging and established scholars in the area of Roman military studies to engage with subjects such as the relationship between warfare and economic and demographic regimes; the interplay of war, aristocratic politics, and state formation; and the complex role the military played in the integration of Italy. The book demonstrates the centrality of war to Rome's internal and external relationships during the Republic, as well as to the Romans' sense of identity and history. It also illustrates the changing scholarly view of warfare as a social and cultural construct in antiquity , and how much work remains to be done in what is often thought of as a "traditional" area of research. Romans at War will be of interest to students and scholars of the Roman army and ancient warfare, and of Roman society more broadly.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Armstrong, J. and M. Trundle (eds.) (2019) Brill's Companion to Sieges in the Ancient Mediterranean. Brill: Leiden., 2019
Brill’s Companion to Sieges in the Ancient Mediterranean is a wide-ranging exploration of sieges ... more Brill’s Companion to Sieges in the Ancient Mediterranean is a wide-ranging exploration of sieges and siege warfare as practiced and experienced by the cultures which lived around the ancient Mediterranean basin. From Pharaonic Egypt to Renaissance Italy, and from the Neo-Assyrian Empire to Hellenistic Greece and Roman Gaul, case studies by leading experts probe areas of both synergy and divergence within this distinctive form of warfare amongst the cultures in this broadly shared environment.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Circum Mare: Themes in Ancient Warfare presents a thematic approach to current directions in anci... more Circum Mare: Themes in Ancient Warfare presents a thematic approach to current directions in ancient military studies with case studies on topics including the economics of warfare, military cohesion, military authority, irregular warfare, and sieges. Bringing together studies on cultures from across the Mediterranean world, ranging from Pharaonic Egypt to Late Antique Europe and from Punic Spain to Persian Anatolia, the collection demonstrates both the breadth of the current field and a surprising number of synergies.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal Articles by Jeremy Armstrong
Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies, 2021
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies, 2021
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Applied Sciences, 2021
The presentation of X-ray fluorescence data (XRF) assays is commonly restricted to tables or grap... more The presentation of X-ray fluorescence data (XRF) assays is commonly restricted to tables or graphical representations. While the latter may sometimes be in a 3D format, they have yet to incorporate the actual objects they are from. The presentation of multiple XRF assays on a 3D model allows for more accessible presentation of data, particularly for composite objects, and aids in their interpretation. We present a method to display and interpolate assay data on 3D models using the PyVista Python package. This creates a texture of the object that displays the relative differences in elemental composition. A crested helmet from Tomb 1036 from the Casale del Fosso necropolis, Veii, Italy, is used to exemplify this method. The results of the analysis are presented and show variation in composition across the helmet, which also corresponds with macroscopic and decorrelation stretching analyses.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Minerals, 2021
Despite the importance of weapons and armour as part of material culture in the Mediterranean dur... more Despite the importance of weapons and armour as part of material culture in the Mediterranean during the first millennium BCE, such objects have generally not been studied beyond stylistic analyses. Bronze was extensively used in the construction of these materials; however, its characterisation is complicated due to patination and the different manufacturing techniques used. We used portable XRF (pXRF) to non-destructively characterise bronze material in a way that mitigates the distorting effects of patina. Analysis was conducted on 23 pieces of pre-Roman Italian bronze armour. Assays were taken using two different techniques; ‘single point’ assays and ‘cluster’ assays. There is variability visible across assays both on and between items, grouped both geographically and chronologically. We highlight significant trends visible in the results over time and different object types and discuss the utility of pXRF on ancient bronze with recommendations for best practice.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 2021
Public, and particularly museum-based, collections provide invaluable opportunities for analysis.... more Public, and particularly museum-based, collections provide invaluable opportunities for analysis. The objects in these collections typically offer relatively complete examples which often become reference points for newly excavated material or analyses. However, aside from issues of provenance and occasionally authenticity, one of the biggest challenges with the analysis of objects in museum collections is, perhaps ironically, their public and collection-based context. Objects on display are often only directly analysed immediately following their initial discovery and are then increasingly restricted for direct analysis (e.g. placed behind glass, displayed in such a way that their removal is difficult, etc.). Although visible to millions, once in a collection the level of analysis possible is often limited and superficial. In this paper we discuss the analysis of three collections of ancient Italian armour now housed in collections, both public and private. We examine some of the ethical considerations when looking at such collections. We also discuss the issues faced when analysing and making digital models of objects, which are used to explore the nature and importance of military equipment in Italy during the first millennium BCE. In addition, we argue that, although famous, many of the pieces held in collections are currently being underutilized in studies of the ancient world. We suggest digitization, even when conducted quickly, can help to unlock more information from previously excavated and analysed items and we highlight the pros and cons of various techniques when working in museum-based contexts.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies, 2017
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Antichthon, 2017
A tension exists within the literary sources for early Rome, between the supposedly static nature... more A tension exists within the literary sources for early Rome, between the supposedly static nature of military authority, embodied by the grant of imperium which was allegedly shared both by archaic reges and republican magistrates, and the evidence for change within Rome’s military hierarchy, with the early republican army being commanded by a succession of different magistrates including the archaic praetores, the so-called ‘consular tribunes,’ and the finally the consuls and praetors of the mid-fourth century BC. The differences between the magistracies and the motivations driving the evolution of the system have caused confusion for both ancient and modern writers alike, with the usual debate being focused on the number of officials involved under each system and Rome’s expanding military and bureaucratic needs. The present study will argue that, far more than just varying in number, when viewed against the wider backdrop of Roman society during the period, the sources hint that the archaic praetores and consular tribunes might have exercised slightly different types of military authority – possibly distinguished by the designations imperium and potestas – which were unified under the office of the consulship of 367 BC. The changes in Rome’s military hierarchy during the fifth and fourth centuries BC may therefore not only indicate an expansion of Rome’s military command, as is usually argued, but also an evolution of military authority within Rome associated with the movement of power from the comitia curiata to the comitia centuriata.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Antichthon, 2017
Ancient history begins and ends with the ancient evidence. The evidence represents not only the f... more Ancient history begins and ends with the ancient evidence. The evidence represents not only the foundation of the discipline, but the material out of which any argument must be built, and it is not possible to go further than it allows. This is part of the reason why the nature and value of the evidence for early Rome have long been, and remain, matters of considerable and sometimes contentious debate. The best evidence, simply because it is contemporary, is arguably the archaeological, but the sorts of questions that archaeological evidence can answer are often of little help when it comes to matters such as the politics and political structures of early Rome, which are the focus of this collection. For such matters, it is still necessary to work with the literary evidence. However, since the historical value of the literary evidence is so hotly contested, the uses to which that evidence is put and the conclusions that are drawn from it inevitably vary considerably. Despite more than a century of research, there is still nothing even remotely resembling a consensus on how the literary sources should best be handled. This paper explores some of the problems with the evidence for early Rome, considers something of the limits and uses of that evidence, as well as introduces the contributions that make up this collection of studies on power and politics in early Rome.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The Journal of Ancient History, 2013
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Book Chapters by Jeremy Armstrong
Armstrong, J. (2023) ‘Form and Function: The Importance of Military Formations in Depictions of the Roman Army in Film’ in Nikoloutsos, K. (ed.) Brill’s Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Warfare on Film. Brill; Leiden, pp. 41-70., 2023
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Books by Jeremy Armstrong
This volume draws on this new understanding of cultural identity and contact to address the themes of adoption, adaption, and innovation in Pre-Roman Italy from the 9th–3rd centuries BCE. The contributors to this volume build upon recent paradigm shifts in research that challenge traditional Hellenocentric models and work to establish a new set of frameworks for approaching the tangled question of how ‘indigenous’ and ’foreign’ features relate to one another in the material record. Using focused case-studies, ranging from the role played by mobile populations in transferring ideas and technologies to the different ways in which ‘foreign’ artistic elements were used by Italian peoples, the volume explores what the — now commonly accepted — connectedness of a wider Mediterranean world meant for the people of Italy in practical terms, and offers new models for how concepts and ideas were transmitted, reinterpreted, repurposed, and re-appropriated in early Italy to fit within their local context.
https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503602325-1
The volume engages with, and builds upon, recent paradigm shifts in the archaeology and history of the ancient Mediterranean which have centred the social and economic processes that produce communities. It utilises a series of case studies, encompassing the production, trade, and movement of objects and people, to explore new models for how production is organised and the recursive relationship which exists between the cultural and economic spheres of human society. The contributions address issues of agency and production at multiple scales of analysis, from larger theoretical discussions of trade and identity across different regions to context-specific explorations of production techniques and the distribution of material culture across the Italian peninsula.
Production, Trade, and Connectivity in Pre-Roman Italy is intended for students and scholars interested in the archaeology and history of pre-Roman and early Republican Italy, but especially production, trade, community formation, and identity. Those interested in issues of cultural interaction and material change in the ancient Mediterranean world will find useful comparative examples and methodological approaches throughout.
Journal Articles by Jeremy Armstrong
Book Chapters by Jeremy Armstrong
This volume draws on this new understanding of cultural identity and contact to address the themes of adoption, adaption, and innovation in Pre-Roman Italy from the 9th–3rd centuries BCE. The contributors to this volume build upon recent paradigm shifts in research that challenge traditional Hellenocentric models and work to establish a new set of frameworks for approaching the tangled question of how ‘indigenous’ and ’foreign’ features relate to one another in the material record. Using focused case-studies, ranging from the role played by mobile populations in transferring ideas and technologies to the different ways in which ‘foreign’ artistic elements were used by Italian peoples, the volume explores what the — now commonly accepted — connectedness of a wider Mediterranean world meant for the people of Italy in practical terms, and offers new models for how concepts and ideas were transmitted, reinterpreted, repurposed, and re-appropriated in early Italy to fit within their local context.
https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503602325-1
The volume engages with, and builds upon, recent paradigm shifts in the archaeology and history of the ancient Mediterranean which have centred the social and economic processes that produce communities. It utilises a series of case studies, encompassing the production, trade, and movement of objects and people, to explore new models for how production is organised and the recursive relationship which exists between the cultural and economic spheres of human society. The contributions address issues of agency and production at multiple scales of analysis, from larger theoretical discussions of trade and identity across different regions to context-specific explorations of production techniques and the distribution of material culture across the Italian peninsula.
Production, Trade, and Connectivity in Pre-Roman Italy is intended for students and scholars interested in the archaeology and history of pre-Roman and early Republican Italy, but especially production, trade, community formation, and identity. Those interested in issues of cultural interaction and material change in the ancient Mediterranean world will find useful comparative examples and methodological approaches throughout.
The online seminar series has facilitated the creation of a dedicated group of international scholars whose presentations and contributions to the conversation have allowed us to investigate and interrogate central developments, controversial issues, and also different methodological positions in regard to Early Rome. The upcoming conference “Rethinking Early Rome” will provide the chance to cement our online achievements to date in person and carve out the common ground on how to evaluate and employ the textual and material evidence, as a necessary first step to a new interpretation of the early Roman Republic.
The conference consists of five panels, bringing together a core group of the online participants from across a range of academic levels and cultures. The first day starts off with a general introduction of the research program followed by the first panel on key methodological challenges and an evening keynote by Prof. Dr. Ortwin Dally. The second day features four panels of three 20-minute presentations to be followed by combined discussions for each panel. The day’s debates will be concluded by a joint response by Prof. Dr. Tim Cornell and Prof. Dr Karl-Joachim Hölkeskamp.