dr. Laurens E. Tacoma
Associate Professor of Ancient HIstory at the University Leiden
Laurens E. Tacoma, Moving Poets. Migration and mobility in the Roman world
In this talk, I discuss the way in which Cicero presents Archia’s movements through the Mediterranean world, and what it implies for our understanding of migration and mobility. I begin by charting Archia’s stepwise movements. This is followed by a discussion of the tension between seemingly effortless and frictionless travelling over wide distances with the emphasis on offering documentary proofs for newcomers. I then go on to discuss the networked nature of travel, in which patronage clearly played a large role. I conclude by offering a more general perspective on the relation between geographical and social mobility in Cicero’s time.
