From Barbarian to Citizen: The Road to Roman Identity in the Late Antique Narrative Tradition

This article examines the transformation of barbarians from external enemies of the Roman Empire into full-fledged citizens and even rulers within the context of Late Antique narrative tradition. The author analyzes a wide range of texts from the fourth to sixth centuries, including historical chronicles and rhetorical works such as those by Sidonius Apollinaris, Claudius Claudianus, Paulus Orosius, Olympiodorus, and others. The focus is on the various narrative strategies that reflect the process of integrating barbarians into Roman society: military service, the granting of civil rights, intermarriage with Romans, mastery of the Latin language and cultural codes, and the adoption of Christianity. The article demonstrates how these processes blurred the traditional boundaries between «Romans» and «barbarians», forming a new identity based not so much on ethnic origin as on cultural, legal, and religious markers. Special attention is given to the analysis of policies integrating barbarians into the army and administration of the empire, their social mobility, and changes in the perception of Romanness (Romanitas) in the context of political crisis, migration, and the spread of Christianity. The article shows that by the sixth century, barbarians were no longer seen as a threat to the empire but as its successors, continuing Roman traditions within the new political realities of early medieval Europe. Thus, the Late Antique narrative tradition emerges as a key source for understanding the evolution of the concepts of «Roman», «barbarian», and «citizenship», reflecting the transition from the classical Roman world to a new medieval order.