Deconstructing Denigration: Conceptualising and Conquering the ‘Barbarians’ of Gaul and Germania (58BCE-16CE)

Sparks, Michael J. (2024) Deconstructing Denigration: Conceptualising and Conquering the ‘Barbarians’ of Gaul and Germania (58BCE-16CE). Masters by Research thesis (MPhil), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

Modern connotations of the term ‘barbarian’ are as caricaturing as they are pervasive. Arising from antique notions of cultural demarcation, this designation conjures the image of a wild uncivilised people and has been employed by elite cultures throughout history to dehumanise other culture groups. Furthermore, there is a belief in scholarship that this caricaturing and dehumanisation directly impacted the extent of Roman brutality enacted in Barbaricum. This thesis sets out that ethnic origin had little to no impact on the determination of Roman armies to commit extreme violence. Analysis of similar conduct throughout the Mediterranean demonstrates the universality of the practice was predicated by the milieu of the period. The effects of the ethnographic demarcation of these are seemingly less important to those alternate factors within the empire. Moreover, literary usage of the term ‘Barbarus’ during the period in which these peoples were incorporated indicates the complexity of the word’s terminology; demonstrating modern perceptions are warped in comparison to ancient definitions. By assessing the relationship between the Romans and the term ‘barbarian’, one can see that ancient conceptualisations of the word are often contradictory and contrasting with their contemporaries, as well as to those in modern minds. Through consideration of these two aspects - the predicating factors for extreme violence and the terminological ambiguity - it becomes clear that the term’s impact had little effect on the Roman military, yet remarkable effect on tropology in the literary sphere.