The missing register of Roman belonging: natio between civitas and origo

ABSTRACT This article argues that, in imperial Roman epigraphy, natio functions as an intermediate register of belonging, positioned between civic membership (civitas) and the local language of birthplace and origin (origo, domo). Working from inscriptions that label individuals natione Afer/Afra/Hafra, Maurus, Libycus, and Punica, the discussion shows that this natione + ethnonym formula is rarely an internal descriptor within Roman North Africa, but becomes visible in contexts of mobility, especially among soldiers and naval personnel commemorated in Italy and other provinces. The formula is best understood as identity vocabulary activated in geographical displacement: it can coexist with Roman citizenship, city-based origo, and occupational identifiers, without collapsing into any one of them. A comparative section on natione Sardus clarifies both the wider epigraphic strategy and the specific explanatory power of African ethnonyms. The article closes by situating natio within debates on provincial identity, iura gentis, and imperial universality.