Les noms de personnes dans l'Empire romain : transformations, adaptation, évolution

The study of names is all the more essential for the history of the Roman Empire as it presents a unique case of onomastic mutation: a system that is codified according to the legal status of free individuals (peregrines/Roman citizens), was imposed, which ended up completely replacing the nomenclature of the indigenous populations, all promoted to Roman citizenship. Their cultural personality was however preserved thanks to the total freedom of choice of the elements composing the compulsory nomenclature. The Roman Empire thus succeeded in combining a strong state influence with fundamental tolerance, so that each region had its own particularities due to its history, the methods of its conquest, and its original onomastic structure. After a methodological presentation, which describes the instruments and methods of work, this volume brings together studies concerning various provinces, the Iberian Peninsula, Gaul, Germania, Thrace, Epirus, Brittany, Africa, and Greece: the balance between public authority and individual autonomy, between the global evolution of the empire and regional differentiation is thus highlighted.