A 'People on paper'. The Volscians between identity and mobility

The article offers a summary of our knowledge of the Volscians, a population of ancient central Italy that is remembered as one of the main enemies of Rome, especially during the 5th century BC. Starting from recent archaeological discoveries in southern Latium, the essay seeks to reflect on the concept of ‘ethnic identity’ using the Volsci as a case-study in order to bring to light the problematic nature of the use of such labels in the analysis of the peoples of ancient Italy