Roman vs Samnite architecture in Pompeii

[caesar novus]

I guess it's a half hour into lecture 4 and somewhat 5 in http://academicearth.org/courses/roman-architecture where she claims the fancy basilica in Pompeii was built by the Samnites before the Romans took it over. This seems mind-blowing because it is a full fledged multistory roofed corinthean columnated concrete megacomplex. http://www.vitruvius.be/pompei.htm and other sources don't seem to suggest the Romans stole it rather than built or significantly enhanced it.

 

Is this plausible, and if any little tribe surrounding Rome could come up with such magnificant stuff... then what is so great about Rome? It's not just a case of everyone exactly copying the Greeks, because there are many non-Greek elements. In fact she points out that it was more in the last 10 years of Pompeii's existance where (especially the villa's) start loading up on Greek colonnades, etc. and evolving away from Etruscan and Samnite influences.

 

[caesar novus]

Is this plausible, and if any little tribe surrounding Rome could come up with such magnificant stuff... then what is so great about Rome? It's not just a case of everyone exactly copying the Greeks, because there are many non-Greek elements.

I'm gonna guess the basilica was a case of the Samnites being a copycat of the Romans while they were independent. Then the Romans siezed the building (and town) and gave it a further veneer of Romanicity by minor refurbishment. Sure this involves some copycat of the Greek colonial style by someone at some stage.

 

Sounds more plausible than the Romans and much of Rome being inspired by the Samnites. Or maybe that lecturer has her dates wrong and the Basilica went up only after the Samnites were crushed.

[Ludovicus]

"any little tribe" !!!

 

The Samnite were a highly developed civilization. Here's a reconstruction of one of their sites, now in present day Pietrabbondante, Italy, near the city of Isernia--in the Molise Region:

 

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/89171723/De-Agostini

 

From Wiki:

For most of their history the Samnites were landlocked, but during a brief period they controlled parts of both coasts of the Italian peninsula. The Samnites were composed of at least four tribes: the Pentri (the most important tribe, capital: Bovianum), the Caraceni (principal cities: Cluviae, the modern Casoli, and Juvanum, the ruins of which are spread between Torricella Peligna and Montenerodomo), the Caudini (capital: Caudium, today Montesarchio) and the Hirpini (Oscan for wolf; capital Beneventum), and later may have been joined by the Frentani (capital Larinum, the modern Larino). The federal capital of the League they formed was Bovianum, except for a short period between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, when it was Aquilonia, destroyed by Romans in 293 BC, whose probable location today is modern Aquilonia, in Campania, province Avellino.

 

The earliest written record of the people is a treaty with the Romans from 354 BC, which set their border at the Liris River. Shortly thereafter the Samnite Wars broke out; they won an important battle against the Roman army in 321 BC, and their imperium reached its peak in 316 BC after further gains from the Romans. By 290 BC, the Romans finally broke the Samnites' power, but even so they would join Hannibal during the 2nd Punic War. The Samnites were the last tribal group holding out against Rome in the Social War (91

[caesar novus]

Well, then I wonder which "tribe" invented or at least popularized concrete structures. I heard the magic volcano dust ingredient wasn't limited to Vesuvius area, but also the Alban hills volcano (present day lake Nemi and ??) close to Rome. I wonder what other civilizations crushed by Rome donated stuff that Rome gets credit for. No, it can't be... Rome surely was the beginning and end of proper civilization!

[Ludovicus]

Well, then I wonder which "tribe" invented or at least popularized concrete structures. I heard the magic volcano dust ingredient wasn't limited to Vesuvius area, but also the Alban hills volcano (present day lake Nemi and ??) close to Rome. I wonder what other civilizations crushed by Rome donated stuff that Rome gets credit for. No, it can't be... Rome surely was the beginning and end of proper civilization!

 

 

I understand your point. I was always taught that the Romans invented the aqueduct. No so, you can see a pre-Roman aqueduct in Syracuse, Sicily. Other cultures originated engineering marvels before the Romans came on the scene. It was only the Romans who had the ability to improve them and spread them over one of Europe's largest empires ever.

There's a thread in the Forum regarding some of the common errors taught about classical civilization. You'd probably find it interesting, if you haven't already visited/contributed to it.

Edited February 27, 2010 by Ludovicus

[Marcellus Mastrannus]

Perhaps then the conclusion to draw from this it that not only was Rome culturally and military great but so were her italic neighbours. Often people make it seem as though the Romans etruscans and so forth were completely different when in fact like the regions of modern italy they had more in common then not.

[caesar novus]

Perhaps then the conclusion to draw from this it that not only was Rome culturally and military great but so were her italic neighbours.

Or almost as great. BTW here is a "great" site that lets you walk thru the houses of Pompeii, with special focus on interior decoration. You can successively click "next house", or bump up to a higher level for neighborhood navigation. Good for seeing bldgs chronically closed, like the famous House of the Silver Wedding which isn't even on the Pompeii brochure (except as a street name) http://sites.google.com/site/ad79eruption/...-silver-wedding