Generational Memory Loss within Imperial Systems: An Archaeological Case Study from the Roman Empire

Abstract

Forgetting, and having recourse to unremembering the past, is useful for different populations. The modern world has provided a range of examples, but the effectiveness of short-term amnesia has not always been highlighted in archaeological scholarship. In this article, a case study from the Roman-period Netherlands highlights that the significance of memory-making in the past may have been overstated. Especially among those societies living under imperial rule, forgetting played an important role, one that calls for more critical focus and understanding. The utilization of cross-cultural and historical examples provides the background for a close analysis of the remains from a single graveyard. The study brings out the repeated amnesiac changes that indigenous groups underwent to adapt themselves to the continuing fact of occupation.