Introduction
The study of the Roman vicus involves a wide-ranging consideration of local neighborhoods in both urban and rural contexts. The vicus defined the political, administrative, and religious subdivision of Roman settlements. At the same time, such an investigation reveals the framework, articulation, and character of local, everyday life. Vici were the basic building blocks of the Roman community.
Definition
Vicus (plural vici) is a Latin term that refers to a variety of small settlements, whether in town or in the countryside, in Rome or in Roman territory, or elsewhere. It has been related to the Greek oikos (house), but its meaning is closer to amphodon (street), kome (village), or to the Oscan eituns (neighborhood). Like many Latin words, this (seemingly technical) designation has a variety of overlapping and contrasting uses. Much controversy among scholars has resulted, with the debate recently becoming more polarized. Evoking both “house” and “street,” vicusbasically...
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Flower, H.I. (2018). Vicus. In: Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_940-2
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