Romanitas in Pompeii

Prior to the Social Conflict, Pompeii was an independent city-state.  Although Pompeii allied itself with Rome and contributed to the imperial military effort, Pompeiians originally defined themselves culturally as non-Roman (Wallace, 184).  The language of public life in Pompeii was the Italian dialect of Oscan (184).  Indeed, both the standard measures and legal status of citizenship remained Pompeiian, not Roman.

Yet, even before the Social War this cultural barrier was beginning to crumble.  Like many other nations and cities, Pompeii was "drawn into the ambit of Roman military, political, and cultural influence (Wallace, 184).  Scholars have pointed out that Pompeii's demand for Roman citizenship was recognition of the cultural fact that to be Italian, one must be Roman (185).

The Social War served to accelerate the Romanization of Pompeii (Wallace, 185).  The cultural gulf between Rome and Pompeii became invisible.  In fact, Carrington writes that "Life in Pompeii became more and more a reflection of Life in Rome."  His analysis appears to be quite accurate in light of the Roman influence upon much of the archaeological evidence from Pompeii.