Christians, Memory, and Resilience in the Late Antique Forum Romanum

Abstract

The conversion of the Curia in the Forum Romanum in the 7th century is often regarded as the culmination of Christian presence in the old city centre. Finally, Christians, who had previously avoided the pagan heart of Rome, conquered this space. However, Christians had been present in more or less visible ways since the 4th century. This paper presents the evidence for this presence as recorded in both texts and archaeology to dispense with scholarly truisms of Christians avoiding the Forum before the 6th century. By applying the theory of collective memory and resilience theory, Christian changes in Rome are studied as human strategies to cope with changing times and circumstances, ensuring the Forum space’s resilience in the process. The author suggests that, far from being rejected by Rome’s Christian inhabitants, the cultural heritage was part of their identity and would continue to be so during the Middle Ages. Christianity was not a break with the past, but a natural continuation of ancient Rome, at least according to the Christians themselves.