The cultural effects of Roman dominance over the Greek-speaking regions is a fascinating topic that has attracted great scientific interest, especially in the last couple of years. The impact of the interaction between two cultures varied in time and space and was definitely more prominent in places where Roman communities had emerged. These communities served as the so-called influence vectors, and their long residing alongside Greeks resulted in the transmission of Roman elements into public life.
One of such elements was Roman names, the dissemination of which may be explained by the existence of networks of exchange and the sense of identity of name bearers. Rizakis (2019) notes that the introduction of the Greeks to the Roman system of naming with its further adaptation to their norms and the Roman names adoption by peregrine Greeks are two different phenomena. However, they both are examples of the interaction process between the two traditions, which gradually led to the appearance of a common onomastic culture. This acculturation form, increased in the 2nd century AD, showed wide regional variability, and the reception of it was different in different cities and social classes.
These cultural transfers were mostly mediated by civic elites, as their purpose was to pass on their influence by name – both in a regional context and more broadly, on a system level. Tria nomina, in particular, and its use in the imperial period especially, as stated by Rizakis (2019), was a source of pride, power, and prestige. Due to this, some names became popular as expressions of the shared culture and were accepted and adopted, albeit on a small scale, by the lower classes as well, having lost their original meaning.
However, the dominance of Roman names as the distinguishing signs of the Empire’s free citizens took place for a short amount of time. As per Rizakis (2019), by the end of the 3rd century AD, a new way of identity expression appeared – a single naming system using separate Greek and Roman names. At first it was used sparingly but after the reign of Constantine – and especially during the period of late antiquity – it started being employed in almost all Roman provinces. This change, advanced by Christianity’s progress and the Roman Empire’s decline, might be deemed as a return to the Greek naming tradition.
Reference
Rizakis, A. (2019). New identities in the Greco-Roman East: cultural and legal implications of the use of Roman names. Proceedings of the British Academy, 222, 237-57. Web.