Bárbaros ou helenos? Estereótipos de samnitas na literatura greco-romana

Abstract

Ethnic groups, both in the ancient world and in the present, are not fixed and clear-cut entities but fluid groupings that are defined by ideas of common origins and perceived cultural similarities. That this was also the case regarding the ancient Italic peoples is clear from the Greco-Roman accounts which have come down to us. This article discusses descriptions of Samnites in Greco-Roman texts. Cultural stereotypes of Samnite vices and virtues will be examined in light of the historical contexts in which they originated.