Original scientific paper
The Delmatae, wine and formation of ethnic identity in pre-Roman Illyricum
Danijel Dzino
Abstract
This paper deals with the lack of archaeological fi nds that confi rm wine-drinking habits amongstthe Delmatae in Illyricum. The thesis of Dietler, (Dietler 1995) that the demand for goods is not anautomatic response but rather something that should be understood in regional political and culturalrelationships, is used to link the absence of wine and the construction of Delmataean ethnic identity.Focusing on the wider clash of drinking ideologies in ancient (and modern) Europe, this papersuggests that the change in alcohol-consumption habits from Continental beer/mead/cider-drinkingto Mediterranean wine-drinking amongst the neighbours of the Delmatae is the consequence ofwider socio-political transitions and the establishment of the core-periphery model of exchange inpre-Roman Illyricum, after Greek penetration into the Adriatic in the 4th century BC.The foundation of the Delmataean alliance in c. 3rd century BC is considered to be an attempt toredistribute the networks of exchange in Illyricum that were controlled by its Delmataean neighbours,who were strongly impacted by Mediterranean ‘globalisation’. At the same time the Delmataeanpolitical alliance was recognised as the core of the Delmataean ethnic identity, further strengthenedthrough the confl icts with their neighbours such as the Liburni, Illyrians, Issaean commonwealth andcertainly, the Roman Republic.Diff erences in consumption of alcoholic beverages are essentially a part of Bourdieu’s socialhabitus, and Barthian “cultural stuff ”, that is not directly involved in the process of constructionof identities. However, in the background of the Delmataean confl icts with their neighbours whoaccepted some elements of Mediterranean culture, including consumption of wine, the choice ofalcoholic beverage becomes an “ethnic boundary” that signifi cantly infl uences the construction ofethnic identity. This paper concludes that the new-formed identity of the Delmatae, amongst otherthings, incorporated a strong anti-Mediterranean sentiment that draw the Delmatae closer to theirnorthern neighbours, the Pannonii, and that sentiment is visible through their unity in the bellumBatonianum, but can be assumed even earlier in the bellum Pannonicum jointly fought against theRomans.Thus, lack of evidence for consumption of wine amongst the Delmatae is the fact that reveals acomplex regional process of formation and transition of ethnic identities in pre-Roman Illyricum. Thisprocess was caused by wider ‘tectonic’ historical movements that corresponded with the formationof the ‘global’ Mediterranean world and the incorporation of Illyricum and its heterogeneous ethniccommunities in that world.
Keywords
The Delmatae; wine; ethnic identity; alcoholic beverages; pre-Roman Illyricum
Hrčak ID:
8289
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2006.
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