Migration is a fundamental and continuous aspect of ancient Roman history. In its mythical and historiographical traditions Rome considered itself from its beginnings as an inclusive city and society tracing its origins back to the demographic and cultural unification of indigenous people in Latium and refugees from the Troian War in Asia. The city itself was thought to be founded as an asylum, “a sancturary for refugees and foreigners”. Historically the early Roman Republic was characterized by its territorial expansion on Italian soil, the affiliation of various Italian peoples and their assimiliation as well as military integration into the Roman system. Roman immigration and citizenship laws during republican times for individual and collective inclusion of allies and foreigners were flexible in various components according to political necessities and contributed to the creation of an inclusive city population. Mutual contracts and cultural exchange between Rome and its Italian neighbors, the establishment of Roman colonies throughout Italy (and later throughout the whole empire) and granting Roman citizenship individually or collectively to Italians was one instrument towards the gradual incorporation of foreigners into the Roman state and finally the “unification” of the Italian peninsula under Roman hegemony. Towards the end of the 3rd century BCE Rome started to expand its political and military influence to territories beyond Italy starting the process of building an empire. Colonies of Roman citizens or army veterans were established in the provinces, political opponents were sent by the authorities into “exile” to the provinces, while foreign tribes were resettled throughout the empire to secure its borders. On the other hand, Rome witnessed an enormous migration of foreign (non-Italian) merchants, workers, intellectuals, teachers, artists and students into the city, due to its stability and wealth as city and empire, along with opportunities for trade, military service, promises of a better standard of living and access to the city’s resources. In addition, the change of the democraphic structure of the city was accelareted by the influx of enormous numbers of foreign slaves (prisoners of war) as a result of permanent warfare and occupation of foreign territories. Over the time huge number of these foreign slaves gained their freedom, and became Roman citizens who participated fully in the civic, political and economic life of the city. Integration of migrants from all parts of the growing empire by various legal proceedings into the urban society, a flexible handling of citizenship laws as well as religious and cultural tolerance of Roman authorities towards migrants resulted therefore in a cosmopolitan Roman society with diverse cultures, languages and religious practices. Migrants became a vital part of economy and intellectual infrastructure already in the late Republic, while at the same time - so it is believed by certain ancient and modern historians - the influx and influence of “new citizens” gradudally eroded the old civic identity based on traditional Roman values. This process continued during the expansion of the empire - until all inhabitants of the empire were granted Roman citizenship by the “Constitution of Antoninus” of 212 CE. - The seminar will deal with relevant aspects and main developments of migration as desribed above. Ancient source texts as well as modern research literature will be read and analysed to clarify concepts of political identity and community, of cultural and political integration and of social and economic participation of migrants. In addition, it will be shown how the connection between citizenship and migration laws, multiple identities of migrants and phenomena of xenophobia reveal the limits of integration and acculturation. It will be discussed how the personal status of migrants influenced their right to bodily integrity and fair trial, as well as issues of personal property, family and inheritance and even to a certain extent freedom of religion and cultural autonomy. - The seminar will NOT deal with external migration (“Barbarian Invasions”) of various tribes in late antiquity seeking to enter Roman territories for collective permanent settlement and leading subsequently to the establishment of post-Roman kingdoms in the Western sphere of the empire.