Identity Construction and Boundaries: Hellenistic Perugia

Perugia, located on the periphery of Etruria on the boundary between the Etruscans and the Umbrians, presents an interesting case study as to the effects on border community, which were manifested in the construction and expression of boundaries. This chapter explores the way in which the act of boundary maintenance reflects 'an identity in crisis'. In the case of Perugia during the fourth to first centuries BC, the increase of political pressure from Rome resulted in an increase in the importance of boundary maintenance. What makes the Etruscans suited for enquiries on boundaries and ethnicity are their rapid rate of urbanisation and highly developed social systems, and their role within the economic network of the Mediterranean. With respect to the correlation between boundaries and identity, Perugia was far slower in undergoing an urbanisation process, and thus in the construction and expression of its civic identity and control over its hinterland. Keywords:boundary maintenance; ethnicity; Etruria; hinterland; identity construction; Perugia; Roman; urbanisation