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14
Introduction
honours,andthesupportofinfluentialcollegepatronsasfactorswhich
madeclimbingthesocialladdereasier.N.Tran,theauthorofalengthy
monographonmembersofRomanprivateassociations,33alsostressed
thefactthatforcollegesandtheirmembersthecitywasthefoundation
onwhichtheybuilttheirsocialidentity.Healsonotedthatcorporations
wereonlyoneofthefrequentlyoverlappingsocialnetworks,suchasthe
family,ethnicorprofessionalgroups,neighbours,friends,etc.Suchstate-
mentsleavenodoubtthatthediscussionaboutRomancorporationshas
beenjoinedbyhistorianswhodonothesitatetoemploytoolsprovidedby
contemporarysocialsciencesintheiranalysisofRomansocialrelations.
Tranisnottheonlyscholarforwhomcollegeshavebecomeanimpor-
tantelementoftheCsocialnetwork)
.34Inthesketchopeningavolumeof
studiesonRomanreligiousassociations,A.Bendlinnoted,amongothers,
theappallinglivingconditionsinpre-industrialcities,whichmeantthat
creatinganetworkofsocialrelationswasaquestionofindividualsurviv-
al.35Especiallyforfamily-less,uprootedimmigrants,belongingtoacol-
legiumbecameoneofthemainmethodsofsocialintegration.However,
theywerenottheonlygroupforwhomthecollegewasaspacewhereit
waspossibletocreateanalternativenetworkofsocial,political,religious
andeconomicrelations.Inasocietywherestatestructureswerepoorly
institutionalised,personalandgrouptieshadanenormousinfluenceon
thesocialorder(andanindividual)splaceinthisorder).36Suchastrongly
sociologically-leaningapproachcanalsobefoundinthemonographpub-
lishedbyD.Rohde.37Inkeepingwiththework)stitle,theauthorfirstofall
triedtoshowhowmembershipinacollegeinfluencedthephenomenon
ofintegrationamongitsmembersandtheirintegrationwiththecivic(ur-
ban)community.AccordingtoRohde,culticcollegesgreatlyfacilitated
horizontalintegrationduetotheircharacteristicfeatures(initiation,spe-
33Tran2006.
34TeCsocialnetwork)(sozialNetzwerk)isprobablythecurrentfavouritemodelof
analysingthefunctioningofancientsocieties.Itseems,however,thatD.Rohdeiscorrect
tobescepticalaboutthepossibilityofusingNetzwerkanalyseinstudiesonRomancol-
legesinconcreto(Rohde2012,46).
35Bendlin2002,9-40.
36AccordingtoBendlin,weshouldreadCicero)swords(Planc.,29)inthiscontext;
afellowcollegemembershouldbelovedlikeabrother(Bendlin2002,34).
37Rohde2012.
