Roman Citizenship in the Cypriot Context

The implications of attaining Roman citizenship in the provinces, whether an opportunity for personal advancement through access to privileges and citizen rights or a symbolic badge of honour, were potentially substantial for individuals and their wider community. The last study of the spread of Roman citizenship across the whole of Cyprus was undertaken by Terence Mitford, and his findings were published posthumously in 1980. He focused solely on epigraphic evidence from the island and offered speculative conclusions for the sporadic instances of citizenship across the island. This chapter presents a systematic, revised study of the impact and significance of Roman citizenship across Cyprus. It begins with an overview of the self-representation and commemoration of outsiders who were Roman citizens. Discussion focuses on the evidence for other notable and high-profile visitors such as negotiatores, Marcia first cousin of the Emperor Augustus, and the pet Lucius Septimius Nestor of Laranda. This not only establishes the contact that locals and communities had with high-profile outsiders but also reveals how outsider identities were commemorated, providing useful comparative evidence for the analysis of strategies that locals used to articulate their new-found status. The remainder of the chapter assesses firm instances of citizenship to examine the spread of Roman citizenship across the island and to explore how this was celebrated by individuals and communities. The chapter closes with a brief overview of evidence for Cypriots abroad to further contextualize local responses to and experiences of the Roman Empire