Does religion matter? Life, death, and interaction in the Roman suburbium

Abstract

This paper discusses the first emergence of epitaphs and images indicative of Christian and Jewish affiliation and identity in Rome and its surroundings. It starts from the observation that unambiguous markers of Christianity only begin to emerge in the early 3rd century, and become more widespread towards the end of that century and in the 4th century. It further argues that, with very few exceptions, the same is most likely true also for indications of Jewish identity, and concludes that this lateness cannot be explained by fear of hostility in either case. Instead, it is suggested, this phenomenon must be seen in the wider context of a new desire emerging around the same time to form groups based on ethnic identities that engage in communal activities such as burial or dedications, and of those groups to make their ethnicity known. If this chronological coincidence could be confirmed by future research, it would not only support the view that religious identity grows out of identities originally conceived of in ethnic terms, but it would also suggest that we need to look at wider socio-historical factors for an explanation of this process.