Hellenistic Technology and Roman Identity.

This research analyses the part of Roman self-perception that arises as a reaction to the technological exchange between the Roman Republic and the Hellenistic world in the period from the early II century BC, beginning with the Second Macedonian War of 200 - 197 BC, when the Roman state came into closer contact with the mainland Greece and the Hellenistic kingdoms of the Near East, till the year 31 BC, the traditional date for the transformation of the Roman state into an empire. National or ethnic identity and self-reflection in the context of technological exchange is an everyday reality for modern people living in the world defined by technological progress, and this paper argues that the same was true to a certain extent even as far back as the second century BC for the Romans. The research is made in the format of a case-study analysing the reactions and responses of different Roman authors of the aforementioned epoch to the technologies borrowed from the Hellenistic scientists and engineers into the spheres of water-lifting devices, land-surveying, interior design, mining and metallurgy. The analysis of narrative sources is based on linguistic pragmatics and the interpretational framework is provided by the constructivist approach to national identities of Benedict Anderson.