ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on people accommodating Roman structures: for example, two conquest scenarios from the Augustan period show people's seemingly rapid integration in Roman cultural expression. Cottius demonstrated the potential opportunities that were open to members of the local lite who collaborated and adapted to a new political reality a reality in which proximity to Roman rulers legitimised political authority more than traditional social patterns. As example of monarchical' clemency, this expression of loyalty might have paved the way for the Salassi's integration into Roman citizenship. They were no longer second-class peregrini, but possessed all the rights and duties of other Roman citizens in Italy that made possible social and economic integration. During the Gallic and Civic Wars, a significant section of the Cisalpine population was directly or indirectly affected by war and politics, actively serving in the army or suffering from extortion, colonisation and land confiscation.
