Roman: A Race Or Nationality?

[Onasander]

To be called Roman, is this a Race, or is it a referance to nationality? Greek and Celt in ancient time is race, Spanish seems to be just a territorial description, but Roman... what is Roman?

[Ursus]

I would say it's a cultural designation, with Roman citizenship being the duly designated entry into the political structures of said culture. Citizenship had always been granted generously (by the standards of the day) and then later was granted universally (for practical fiscal and military reasons).

 

 

It might be race if we use race in the old sense of the word - a people with a distinct culture. It wouldn't be race in the modern sense of the word (with genetic characteristics). It wouldn't be a nation since many nations were under the imperial banner of Rome.

[pompeius magnus]

Also the concept of nationality is a modern term referring to the 20th century when nations were being formed. The Romans were a mixture of races as well, if you refer to the modern definiton of it. When they conquered a people they mixed with them creating a mess of genetics. This is seen in another instance with African soldiers, who were not Roman but part of the military system, which evidence shows were patrolling Hadrians wall and mixed with the native population, so many of the British today have African ancestors and viceversa, there were Africans who had characteristics of Europeans from soldiers from Germania and Gaul being sent down to Africa and mixing with population. In the end though, I must agree with Ursus, to be a Roman, was to belong to an elite culture, which latter many others would join.