Rens Tacoma

E. Lo Cascio and L.E. Tacoma, with assistance of M.J. Groen-Vallinga (eds.), The impact of mobility and migration in the Roman Empire (Impact of Empire 22) (Leiden: Brill 2017). [ISBN: 978-90-04-33480-9 ]

All interested in the history of migration and mobility, and anyone concerned with the social his... more

L.E. Tacoma, Moving Romans. Migration to Rome in the Principate (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2016). [ISBN 9780198768050]

L. de Ligt and L.E. Tacoma (eds), Migration and mobility in the Roman world (Leiden: Brill 2016).

L.E. Tacoma, Fragile Hierarchies. The Urban Elites of Third-Century Roman Egypt (Mnemosyne, Supplements 271) (Leiden: Brill 2006).

L.E. Tacoma, Fragile Hierarchies. The Urban Elites of Third Century Roman Egypt (unpublished PhD thesis Leiden 2003).

H.-A. Rupprecht, A.M.F.W. Verhoogt, N. Kruit, with the assistance of J. Hengstl and L.E. Tacoma (eds.), Berichtigungsliste der griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Ägypten, Elfter Band (Leiden/Boston: Brill 2002).

Articles by Rens Tacoma

Romeins nepnieuws ten tijde van Eusebius? De Handelingen van Pontius Pilatus als documentaire fictie', Leidschrift 37.2 (2022) 17-34

by Rens Tacoma and I.C. Huliselan

[Article in Dutch on the references to the Acts of Pilate by Eusebius; outcome of a small Researc... more

Romeinse propaganda. De Res Gestae van Augustus tot Mussolini

Amphora 41.2 19-22, 2022

Bewerkte versie van de openingslezing op 10 maart 2022 van de Week van de Klassieken van het Rijk... more

Propaganda in de Grieks-Romeinse oudheid

Hermeneus 94.1, 2022

Propaganda is van alle tijden, maar wisselt steeds van vorm. De Week van de Klassieken vindt in m... more

Propaganda. Een modern begrip voor antieke praktijken

Amphora 41: xi-xiv, 2022

Toen Dacië (tegenwoordig Oost-Hongarije en Roemenië) door keizer Trajanus als nieuwe Romeinse pro... more Toen Dacië (tegenwoordig Oost-Hongarije en Roemenië) door keizer Trajanus als nieuwe Romeinse provincie werd ingelijfd, werd dat breed gepropageerd. Met de oorlogsbuit bouwde Trajanus zijn eigen Forum Traiani in Rome, waarop hij een overwinningszuil van bijna dertig meter hoog liet neerzetten. Het was niet alleen deze hoogte die imponeerde, maar ook de bijna zestig reliëfs op de zuil eisten de aandacht op. De reliëfs bevatten scènes van de dynamische veldtochten, inclusief beelden van de oorlogsvoorbereidingen en de glorieuze overwinning. Ook de Daciërs zijn afgebeeld: verslagen en vernederd geven ze zich over. De Zuil van Trajanus kan als schoolvoorbeeld van Romeinse propaganda gelden (afbeelding 1). Het begrip 'propaganda' is afgeleid van het postklassieke Latijnse werkwoord propagare (verspreiden). Het begrip kan op meerdere manieren worden gedefinieerd, maar het draait primair om de bewuste beïnvloeding van bevolkingsgroepen via massacommunicatie. Hoe kan dit moderne begrip worden toegepast op de Grieks-Romeinse oudheid? In welke vormen kwam propaganda tot uiting? En hoe kijken we vandaag de dag tegen antieke propaganda aan? Afbeelding 1 De Zuil van Trajanus op het Forum Traiani in Rome, ca. 113 n.Chr.

‘Inscribing Syrian mobility in the Hellenistic and Roman period’

J. Yoo, A. Zerbini and C. Barron (eds.), Migration and migrant identities in the Near East from Antiquity to the Middle Ages (Routledge), 2019

As is well-known, the potential of inscriptions to elucidate regional patterns of mobility and mi... more As is well-known, the potential of inscriptions to elucidate regional patterns of mobility and migration is large. At the same time, it is not always clear how representative the material is. Patterns of commemoration, social biases and selectivity in self-representation structure to a large extent what is documented and what is left out. Although the phenomenon of epigraphic biases is well-known, it is not always realised that there exist also within the epigraphic record large differences. In this paper, we discuss the possibilities and problems of analysing mobility though epigraphy. We juxtapose three different sets of inscriptions. All three sets pertain to Syrian mobility in the Hellenistic and Roman period, yet all show rather different characteristics.

L.E. Tacoma, 'The labour market'

in: A. Claridge and C. Holleran (eds.), A companion to the city of Rome (Wiley-Blackwell)., 2018

By the time of Augustus, Rome had in every sense of the word become a cosmopolis. It was a very p... more By the time of Augustus, Rome had in every sense of the word become a cosmopolis. It was a very populous city and its population had to be fed, housed and clothed on a massive scale, the wealthy elite had to be supplied with whatever it fancied, and then there were the imperial building projects of staggering size. The high volume of production implies a large demand for labour, of a wide variety. The sources attest to an enormous range of economic activities: from making jewellery, to unloading the boats coming from Ostia at the Tiber quays, to waiting on the table of a senator.

L.E. Tacoma and E. Lo Cascio, ‘Writing migration’, in: E. Lo Cascio and L.E. Tacoma, with assistance of M.J. Groen-Vallinga (eds.), The impact of mobility and migration in the Roman Empire (Impact of Empire 12) (Leiden: Brill 2017) 1-24.

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Bones, Stones, and Monica. Isola Sacra revisited’, in: E. Lo Cascio and L.E. Tacoma, with assistance of M.J. Groen-Vallinga, The impact of mobility and migration in the Roman Empire (Impact of Empire 12) (Leiden: Brill 2017) 132-154

M.J. Groen-Vallinga and L.E. Tacoma, ‘The value of labour: Diocletian’s Price Edict’ in: K. Verboven and C. Laes (eds)., Work, labour and professions in the Roman World (Leiden: Brill 2017) 104-132.

Next to prices, the Edict also lists wages. In fact, the Edict contains more data on wages than c... more Next to prices, the Edict also lists wages. In fact, the Edict contains more data on wages than can be found in all the Roman literary sources together and is therefore highly instructive for Roman labour. 4 But it is noticeable that this aspect of the text has received less attention than it deserves. Of course wages are cited and analysed in the scholarly literature (and some of the figures are indeed used in the other chapters in this volume). However, the broader question how labour is conceptualized in the Edict has not been fully addressed. That is the aim of this paper.

L.E. Tacoma, T. Ivleva, D.J. Breeze, ‘Lost Along the Way: A Centurion Domo Britannia in Bostra’, Britannia 47 (2016) 31-42

by Rens Tacoma, Tatiana Ivleva, and David Breeze

This article discusses a not well-known funerary monument commemorating a centurion of a British ... more This article discusses a not well-known funerary monument commemorating a centurion of a British descent. IGLS 13.1.9188 records the centurion, T. Quintius Petrullus, 'from Britain', of the Third Cyrenaican Legion, who died aged 30 at Bostra in Arabia. This was a young age for a centurion and the article suggests that he had entered the army by a direct commission rather than risen through the ranks. Accordingly, he is likely to have belonged to a high status family. The Bostra appointment was probably his first. The appointment is put into context alongside other similar equestrian career paths and the Jewish War during the reign of Hadrian is proposed as a possible occasion for the posting. In addition, the article examines this Briton alongside other Britons abroad. Keywords: centurionate; promotions and transfers in the Roman army; Britons abroad; Bostra; migration and mobility

L. de Ligt and L.E. Tacoma, ‘Approaching migration in the early Roman empire’, in: L. de Ligt and L.E. Tacoma (eds), Migration and mobility in the Roman world (Leiden: Brill 2016) 1-22.

L.E. Tacoma and R.A. Tybout, ‘Moving epigrams. Migration and mobility in the Greek East’ in: L. de Ligt and L.E. Tacoma (eds), Migration and mobility in the Roman world (Leiden: Brill 2016).

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Roman elite mobility’, in: N. Fisher and H. van Wees (eds), ‘Aristocracy’ in antiquity. Redefining Greek and Roman elites (Swansea: The Classical Press of Wales 2015) 125-146.

Roman Political Culture. Seven Studies of the Senate and City Councils of Italy from the First to the Sixth Century AD (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2020) [ISBN: 9780198850809]

All interested in the history of migration and mobility, and anyone concerned with the social his... more

L.E. Tacoma, Moving Romans. Migration to Rome in the Principate (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2016). [ISBN 9780198768050]

L. de Ligt and L.E. Tacoma (eds), Migration and mobility in the Roman world (Leiden: Brill 2016).

L.E. Tacoma, Fragile Hierarchies. The Urban Elites of Third-Century Roman Egypt (Mnemosyne, Supplements 271) (Leiden: Brill 2006).

L.E. Tacoma, Fragile Hierarchies. The Urban Elites of Third Century Roman Egypt (unpublished PhD thesis Leiden 2003).

Romeins nepnieuws ten tijde van Eusebius? De Handelingen van Pontius Pilatus als documentaire fictie', Leidschrift 37.2 (2022) 17-34

by Rens Tacoma and I.C. Huliselan

[Article in Dutch on the references to the Acts of Pilate by Eusebius; outcome of a small Researc... more

Romeinse propaganda. De Res Gestae van Augustus tot Mussolini

Amphora 41.2 19-22, 2022

Bewerkte versie van de openingslezing op 10 maart 2022 van de Week van de Klassieken van het Rijk... more

Propaganda in de Grieks-Romeinse oudheid

Hermeneus 94.1, 2022

Propaganda is van alle tijden, maar wisselt steeds van vorm. De Week van de Klassieken vindt in m... more

Propaganda. Een modern begrip voor antieke praktijken

Amphora 41: xi-xiv, 2022

‘Inscribing Syrian mobility in the Hellenistic and Roman period’

J. Yoo, A. Zerbini and C. Barron (eds.), Migration and migrant identities in the Near East from Antiquity to the Middle Ages (Routledge), 2019

L.E. Tacoma, 'The labour market'

in: A. Claridge and C. Holleran (eds.), A companion to the city of Rome (Wiley-Blackwell)., 2018

L.E. Tacoma, T. Ivleva, D.J. Breeze, ‘Lost Along the Way: A Centurion Domo Britannia in Bostra’, Britannia 47 (2016) 31-42

by Rens Tacoma, Tatiana Ivleva, and David Breeze

L. de Ligt and L.E. Tacoma, ‘Approaching migration in the early Roman empire’, in: L. de Ligt and L.E. Tacoma (eds), Migration and mobility in the Roman world (Leiden: Brill 2016) 1-22.

L.E. Tacoma and R.A. Tybout, ‘Moving epigrams. Migration and mobility in the Greek East’ in: L. de Ligt and L.E. Tacoma (eds), Migration and mobility in the Roman world (Leiden: Brill 2016).

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Roman elite mobility’, in: N. Fisher and H. van Wees (eds), ‘Aristocracy’ in antiquity. Redefining Greek and Roman elites (Swansea: The Classical Press of Wales 2015) 125-146.

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Imperial wealth in Roman Egypt: The Julio-Claudian ousiai’ in: P. Erdkamp, K. Verboven and A. Zuiderhoek (eds.) Ownership and exploitation of land and natural resources in the Roman world (Oxford studies in the Roman economy) (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2015) 71-87.

for help and criticism (and my apologies for not always heeding their advice).

M.J. Groen-Vallinga and L.E. Tacoma, ‘Contextualising condemnation to hard labour in the Roman Empire’, in: C.G. de Vito and A. Lichtenstein (eds.), Global convict labour (Leiden: Brill 2015) 49-78.

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Migrants quarters at Rome?’, in: G. de Kleijn and S. Benoist (eds.) Integration in Rome and the Roman world (Proceedings of the tenth workshop of the international network Impact of Empire) (Leiden and Boston: Brill 2014) 127-146.

A.P.A. Oerlemans and L.E. Tacoma, ‘Three great killers. Infectious disease and patterns of mortality in imperial Rome’, Ancient Society 44 (2014) 213-241.

by Rens Tacoma and Annelieke Oerlemans

This article analyses the way in which three major diseases that were prevalent in Imperial Rome ... more This article analyses the way in which three major diseases that were prevalent in Imperial Rome structured mortality patterns. It is generally agreed that malaria, tuberculosis and typhoid fever were three great killers in Rome, but it is also clear that they differed from each other in major respects. Both characteristics make them particularly good objects for studying how infectious diseases structured mortality patterns. Discussions of mortality are often confined to statements that the mortality peak in the summer was caused by infectious diseases, or that mortality was caused by bad sanitation, or that immigrants were at a disadvantage due to lack of immunity, or that diseases were great levellers that operated independent of status, or that the spread of diseases depended primarily on population density. Such statements are not necessarily incorrect, but the analysis shows that it is possible to move beyond these crude generalisations and produce a more complex understanding of mortality patterns. * Our thanks to Miriam Groen-Vallinga, Saskia Hin and two anonymous referees for helpful comments and to Marianne Oort for improving our English.

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Settlement and population’, in: C. Riggs (ed.) Oxford Companion to Roman Egypt (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2012) 122-135.

chapter 8 settlem en t a n d popu l ation * l aurens e . t acoma This chapter is based on two sim... more chapter 8 settlem en t a n d popu l ation * l aurens e . t acoma This chapter is based on two simple assumptions: fi rst, that Roman Egypt had a relatively large population, and secondly, that it had a large number of settlements. Th e aim is then to analyse how the population was distributed over these settlements, and by what methods we may perform such an analysis. Who lived where, and how can we know? Th e seemingly simple question 'who lived where?' is of real historical importance, for it has a bearing on debates about urbanization. Cities formed a constituent element of the Graeco-Roman world. It is probable that ancient society was heavily urbanized, at least by pre-industrial standards. However, quantitative data are for the most part lacking to support the large claims that ancient historians have made. Th ere is a clear need for substantiation.

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Imperial estates (Egypt)’, in: R.S. Bagnall, K. Brodersen, C.B. Champion, A. Erskine, S.R. Huebner (eds.) Encyclopedia of Ancient History (Malden: Wiley-Blackwell 2012).

Word count: 747 Imperial estates were personal property of members of the imperial family, as dis... more Word count: 747 Imperial estates were personal property of members of the imperial family, as distinct from property belonging to the Roman state. Such property could consist of many types, such as papyrus marshes or centers of brick production, but landholdings formed the most important part of it. Imperial estates could be found in all parts of the empire, but thanks to the survival of numerous references in the papyri, the documentation for Egypt is fuller than elsewhere. The fragmentary nature of the papyrological evidence prevents a full overview at any one time, but throughout the Roman period the size of the estates in Egypt must have been substantial. Just as elsewhere in the empire exploitation and estate management followed local practices. Wheat and barley formed the main crops that were cultivated, but beans lentils, vines and olives are also found.

L.E. Tacoma, 'The councillor's dilemma. Political culture in third-century Roman Egypt', in: R. Alston and O.M. van Nijf with the assistance of C.G. Williamson (eds), Political Culture in the Greek City after the Classical Age. (Leuven, Paris and Walpole, MA Peeters 2011) 243-262.

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Eusebius’ constructie van de vroeg-Christelijke geschiedenis’ [review of J. Corke-Webster, Eusebius and Empire. Constructing Church and Rome in the Ecclesiastical History (Cambridge 2019)], Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis 133 (2020) 552-553.

L.E. Tacoma, [Review of: J. Lendering en V. Hunink, Het visioen van Constantijn. Een gebeurtenis die de wereld veranderde ( Utrecht 2018)]

Tijdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeologie, 2020

L.E. Tacoma, ‘More than a marshy space’ [Review of K. Blouin, Triangular Landscapes. Environment, Society, and the State in the Nile Delta under Roman Rule (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014).] Classical Review 66.2. (2016) 517-519

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Overlappende identiteiten in het Romeinse Rijk’ [Review of: M.T. Boatwright, Peoples of the Roman World (Cambridge 2012] Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis 126(1) (2013) 119-120.

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Babylonische beeldverwarring’ [Review of: T. Boiy, Babylon. De echte stad en de mythe (Leuven 2010)] Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis 125 (2012) 398.

L.E. Tacoma, ‘Antieke kindslaven tussen uitbuiting en affectie’ [Review of: H. Heinen (ed.) Kindersklaven – Sklavenkinder. Schicksale zwischen Zuneigung und Ausbeutung in der Antike und im interkulturellen Vergleich (Stuttgart 2012)] Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis 125(4) (2012) 582-583.

Op zijn hoogtepunt telde het Romeinse Rijk 60 miljoen inwoners, waarvan naar conservatieve schatt... more Op zijn hoogtepunt telde het Romeinse Rijk 60 miljoen inwoners, waarvan naar conservatieve schattingen minstens 10% slaaf was. Een groot deel daarvan was als slaaf geboren, of werd reeds op zeer jonge leeftijd tot slaaf gemaakt. Door de hele oudheid zullen de aantallen hebben gewisseld, maar het staat vast dat in alle periodes kindslaven in groten getale voorkwamen. Het zijn deze kindslaven die het onderwerp vormen van deze bundel.