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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "CL/HS 231"
COURSE NAME: "History of Ancient Rome and Italy"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Summer Session II 2020
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Massimo Betello
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
Remote Learning
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course surveys the history of ancient Rome and Italy, focusing on the origins and metamorphoses of Rome from its archaic foundations as an Italic-Latinate kingship to an imperial city. The course examines the establishment, expansion, and conflicts of the Republican period; the political and cultural revolution of the Augustan ‘Principate’; the innovations of the High Empire; and the transition into Late Antiquity. Course materials include the writings of ancient authors in translation (these may include Polybius, Sallust, Cicero, Livy, Augustus, Suetonius, and/or Tacitus) as well as modern historians and archaeologists, along with considerations of Roman art, architecture, and archaeology.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course is designed to allow students to reach a solid knowledge of the main phases of ancient Roman history, with a special focus on political and social changes, not only via our textbook, but also by discussing the most significant Roman monuments, coins, sculptures, epigraphs and selected historical passages. Some emphasis will also be placed on how such history still influences our modern society (politics, tv series, historical novels, journalism, architecture, literature, etc.).
The course mainly aims at:
· presenting the students with an well-structured overview of the history of ancient Italy and Rome from the foundation of the city to the end of the Western Roman Empire;
· discussing the significance of selected archeological, epigraphical, numismatic and literary sources for Roman history;
· illustrating the geography of Europe and the Mediterranean basin;
· developing an interest in Roman history and civilization that will help to better appreciate the city of Rome and may possibly guide towards future reading, research, studies;
· showing some of the living effects of Roman civilization.
This course is composed of both of passive and active learning: the students will be asked to learn Roman history from the selected textbooks, and at the same time will be requested to analyze important historical sources. This will allow the students not only to master the sequence of people and historical events that made Rome the great empire it was, but also to develop an ability in critically evaluating the methods used to “create” history.
Effective note-taking is fundamental to a successful outcome of this course.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Taking this course will allow students:
1) to have at their fingertips the most important facts and personalities of Roman History and Culture;
2) to be able to discuss the major political and social changes happened in ancient Rome;
3) to become aware of the geography and topography of the Mediterranean basin and of the city of Rome;
4) to be able to contextualize, discuss and evaluate how and why Roman historians were writing history;
5) to be able to describe selected Roman archeological remains and understand their connections and importance with the history of Rome;
6) to have the ability to illustrate and discuss some of the traits of the living legacy of Rome: for an attentive mind Roman history is not the empty study of old facts, but a source of inspiration for both European and American culture.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| A Brief History of the Romans | Boatwright, Mary Taliaferro, Daniel J Gargola, Noel Emmanuel Lenski, and Richard J. A Talbert | Oxford University Press 2nd ed. (2013). | 9780199987559 | | Purchase only through Perusall | | | |
| The Historians of Ancient Rome. An anthology of the major writings | Mellor Ronald | Routlegde 3rd ed. (2012) | 978-0-415-52716-3 | | Purchase only through Perusall | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Readings and classroom participation | Perusall readings (5%): all the readings can be accessed using Moodle links that will take the students to the online platform Perusall.com where the readings are to be done. No other ways are accepted for this class. Perusall will evaluate the amount of time spent doing active reading, and if the readings are done on time. The first two classes are excluded from this assignment (add/drop period).
Perusall discussions (5%): upon reading the texts on Perusall, the students are expected to post their own meaningful notes and observations. At the very minimum, the most basic note will cleat least point to one interesting passage per text and will explain why it is interesting: a clear and comprehensive explanation is expected. A higher grade will be give to student who reply to other student’s note. The first two classes are excluded from this assignment (add/drop period
| 10 |
| 2 tests | Dates: see schedule.
These short tests (20 minutes) are intended to foster a regular study and allow the students to be ready for the major exams. Questions will test both factual knowledge (events, date, people etc.), and the comprehension of fundamental historical concepts.
Format: short answers, multiple choices, true-false, identifications, map questions, fill-in-the-blanks. | 20 |
| Midterm exam | Date: see schedule.
The topics tested will be those of the first half of the semester.
It will be made up of two parts:
• one testing the student’s factual knowledge (events, date, people etc) using identifications, multiple choices, true-false, etc.;
• the other testing the student’s understanding and knowledge of the concepts explained in class using open questions, essays, etc.
More specific details will be given during the semester. | 30 |
| Final exam | Date: Friday August 5
The topics tested will be those of the second half of the semester only. The final exam is not cumulative.
The format will follow that of the midterm exam.
More specific details will be given during the semester. | 30 |
| Weekly Forum Discussions | Every week the professor will post between two and three questions on the Moodle forum of the week. The students are expected to reply to all the questions by Friday morning at 9:00 am | 10 |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance will be taken at every class.
More than 4 absences regardless of the reason (that is missing more than 20% of the course) will have you fail the class.
Every student who has accumulated ONE or less absences (regardless of the reason) by the day of the midterm will be allowed to answer to the extra credit questions on the midterm. Every student who has accumulated TWO or less absences (regardless of the reason) by the day of the final exam will be allowed to answer to the extra credit questions on the final exam.
As from the university catalog:
“Attendance Policy
Specific requirements for attendance in any given course, except as described below, are the prerogative of the instructor and will be stated in the course syllabus distributed by the instructor at the beginning of the term.
The Dean’s Office may grant exemptions from specific attendance policies in the case of a chronic medical condition or other serious problem. Students seeking such an exemption must ask a Dean as soon as they are aware of a situation impeding their required attendance. Students who cannot meet the attendance requirements for a particular class may be advised to withdraw from it.
Absences from major examinations require a Dean’s Office excuse, insofar as the student may seek to take a make-up exam. The Dean’s Office will only excuse such absences when they are caused by serious impediments, such as a student’s own illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which the student is attending the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students seeking such an excuse must notify their instructor, or the Dean’s Office, as soon as possible, and no later than the beginning of the exam.
Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday must notify their instructors by the end of the Add/Drop period (during the first week of classes). Students missing a class for this reason also must make prior arrangements with their instructor to make up any work.
Exams - Absences and Makeups
Instructors may, at their discretion, give makeups on quizzes or other less important graded work to students absent without an official excuse. However, because make-up exams require new exams to be prepared, written and proctored at times outside the regular class period, major examinations (midterms, finals) may only be re-administered with approval from the Dean’s Office.
A student absent from a class meeting in which a major examination has been scheduled, who wishes to make-up that exam, must ask the Dean’s Office for an official excuse. Such absence will be excused only if the student:
- has notified the Dean’s Office or his or her instructor of his or her inability to attend before the beginning of the class meeting in which the examination was scheduled;
- subsequently presents to the Dean’s Office with documented evidence of a serious difficulty preventing attendance.
A serious difficulty entitling a student to make-up a missed exam includes a student’s own illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which the student is attending the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Missed exams owing to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel plans or difficulties, student misunderstandings, alarm clock failure, or personal convenience, will not be excused."
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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Week 1
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Introduction to the course: syllabus, assessments, textbooks.
How do we know what we know? Our main sources: ancient historians, archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics.
Italy before the Romans: Latins, Etruscans, and Greeks of Italy.
Mythical and archaeological origins of the city of Rome.
Monarchy and the 7 mythical kings.
The deposition of the last king, and the Early Republic.
The Struggle of the Orders.
Conquest of Veii and the sack of Rome in the fourth century.
Roman political institutions in the fourth century
The conquest of Italy: Samnite-Latin wars, and wars against the Greeks of Italy.
Punic wars: the creation of a Mediterranean Empire.
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Monday
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Monday
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BOATWRIGHT: 1-14 (Chapter 1)/ 1-14 (chapter 1)
Other readings:
- Batuman, Elif. “The Sanctuary” The New Yorker, December 19, 2011 – to be found on line.
- Mellor: Intro pages xvi-xvii, xxix-xxx
- Mellor: Polybius pages 10-15 (introduction and I.1-4)
- Mellor: Livy pages 118-21 (to the end of the Preface)
Questions:
- According to Batuman’s article, how did the standards of living change from the hunter-gathers to farmers?
- According to the Mellor (Introduction), which were generally the most important reasons for writing Roman history?
- Why does Polybius think that studying history is important? And what is instead the position of Livy?
- Between Polybius and Livy, which of the two is more interested in the moral lessons that history can give?
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Tuesday
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BOATWRIGHT: 15-25 (Chapter 1)/ 15-23 (Chapter 1)
Other readings:
- Carandini: 50-63. Check the images of this book: they are very useful to visualize archaic Rome’s surroundings and the religious operations used to found a new city.
- Mellor: Livy 121-129 (I.4-13),
Questions:
- What is an archaeologist, according to Carandini?
- Describe the rite that Romulus used to physically found the city of Rome.
- Human sacrifices in Ancient Rome? Which is the archaeological evidence that Carandini thinks he has found for such cruel acts? And which reason do these sacrifices seem to have?
- Who or what was the she-wolf?
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Wednesday
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BOATWRIGHT: 25-41, 45-53 (Chapter 3)/ 24-38, 41-49 (Chapter 2)
Other readings:
- Mellor: The laws of the 12 tables, pages 1-4 (only in the 3rd edition)
- Mellor: Polybius 30-40, 48-49 (VI.1-9,11-18, 56-57)
Questions:
- Which is your “favorite” among the laws of the 12 tables, and why?
- Why does Polybius think that the Roman Constitution is the best?
- Create a chart showing the sequence of the different constitutions-polities as described by P.
- Which are the characteristics of the worst form of constitution according to Polybius?
- Polybius: Cyclical history or unpredictable history? Why?
- Polybius: Religion or not? What is religion for?
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Thursday
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BOATWRIGHT :54-70 (Chapter 4)/ 50-66 (Chapter 3)
Other readings:
- Mellor: Livy 198-200, 212-16(XXI.35-8; XXX.30-7)
Questions:
- What exotic animals did Hannibal have in his journey to Italy?
- What is Hannibal crossing to get to Italy?
- Which two forces does Hannibal mention as his possible guides? Which one does he favor and why?
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Week 2
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How Rome dealt with her newly conquered Mediterranean empire.
A new way of doing politics: the assassination of the Gracchi brothers.
External forces attack the Republic: the war with Numidia, and the menace of the German populations Cimbri and Teutones
The first of a series of civil wars: the clash between the generals Marius and Sulla.
The end of Sulla, the beginning of Pompey.
Slave revolts, pirate wars, Catiline’s attempted revolution.
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Monday
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BOATWRIGHT :78-82, 85-89, 92-98 (Chapter 5)/ 74-77,80-84,86-92 (Chapter 4)
Other readings:
-Mellor: Appian, pages 478-90 (book I, chapters 1-2;6-26)
Questions:
- Does Appian have different opinions about Tiberius Gracchus and his brother Gaius Gracchus?
- Where were usually the supporters of Tiberius from? How were they different from the plebeians that Tiberius courted while he was trying to get elected tribune for a second time?
- Is Appian pro or against the Gracchi brothers?
- Why does Appian say that his history is worth of attention?
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Tuesday
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BOATWRIGHT:99-110 (Chapter 6)/ 94-106 (Chapter 5)
Other readings: none
Questions: none
Test 1 (Chapters 1-2)/(Chapters 1-3)
(20 minute long)
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Wednesday
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BOATWRIGHT : 111-124 (Chapter 6-7)/ 107-120 (Chapter 5 and 6)
Other readings: none
Questions: none
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Thursday
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BOATWRIGHT :125-129, 132, 137-140 (Chapter 7)/ 124-126, 130-135 (Chapter 6) (The sections about Mithridates will be done in class)
Other readings:
- Harris, Robert. “Pirates of the Mediterranean.” The New York Times, September 30, 2006, sec. Opinion. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/30/opinion/30harris.html.
- Mellor: Sallust, pages 50-57, 64-65 (The Catilinarian Conspiracy 1-16, 60-61).
Questions:
- After reading Harris’s article, do you think that the pirates would have been able to destroy the Roman “century-old constitution”? How? Justify your thoughts.
- According to Sallust, why did the Romans have lack of good writers of history?
- According to Sallust, which are the “roots of all evils”?
- How does the description of the associates of Catilina (and their implied immoral qualities) fit with their end during the final battle?
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Week 3
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The penultimate chapter in the history of the Roman Republic: the first Triumvirate and another civil war.
Gaius Iulius Caesar: his rising, assassination and his dream of a new order for Rome.
The last chapter in the history of the Roman Republic: the second Triumvirate and yet another civil war.
Octavian Augustus: the first “emperor” and the establishment of new order within the hollowed out Republican institutions.
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Monday
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BOATWRIGHT :142-147, 152-166 (Chapter 8)/ 136-141, 144 (ONLY “Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul”) 148-159 (Chapter 7)
Other readings:
- Mellor: Suetonius, pages 396-400, 404, 418-424 (Life of Iulius Caesar 1-23,31,32,75-89),
Questions:
- Why is Sulla comparing Caesar to Marius?
- Why did Caesar used the specific expression “Iacta alea est”?
- According to Suetonius, which of Caesar’s acts caused him to be killed?
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Tuesday
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BOATWRIGHT : 167-184 (Chapter 9),/160-179 (Chapter 8)
Other readings:
-Mellor : Suetonius pages 424,425,427,429,437-439,459-60 (Life of Augustus 5-7,13,17,41-43,99,100,101)
Questions:
- Why do you think that Augustus distributed so much money and appeared so much in public?
- What is the word “Augustus”? What does it mean?
- Where was Augustus buried?
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Wednesday
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MIDTERM (Chapters 1-6)
Duration: the entirety of the class time.
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Thursday
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BOATWRIGHT : 184-199 (Chapter 9),/179-192 (Chapter 8)
Other readings:
-Mellor: Augustus pages 255-62 (Introduction plus Res Gestae), Tacitus pages 311-312 (I.9-10)
Questions:
- Divide the Res Gestae in sections according to the themes treated.
- Whose names did not Augustus mention in the Res Gestae? Why so?
- Find the lines where Tacitus refers the various judgments about Augustus.
- What is Tacitus’s judgment on Augustus and his rule?
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Week 4
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The Julio-Claudian dynasty: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero.
The Flavian Emperors and the institutionalization of the Principate
The Age of the Adopted Emperors: a new “golden age” for humanity?
Entertainment during the empire.
The Severan Emperors.
Citizenship granted to all the free inhabitants of the Empire.
Christianity and the Romans
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Monday
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BOATWRIGHT : 201-214, 220-221 (Chapter 10),/ 193-206, 211-212 (Imperial cult) (Chapter 9)
Other readings:
-Mellor: Tacitus pages 351-4, 360-3 (XII 65-69, XIII1-5, XV 37-44: death of Claudius, Accession of Nero, Great Fire)
- Rice, J.E. 2000. “The emperor with the shaking head: Claudius’ movement disorder.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 93 4: 198. – To be found on Moodle.
Questions:
- Why was Agrippina, Nero’s mother, kept “out of sight, but not out of hearing”? Book 13.5
- What are the features of the Golden House, as described by Tacitus?
- How is Nero planning to rebuild Rome after the fire of 64 AD? What is the reason for those plans?
- Christians: first persecution. Why?
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Tuesday
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BOATWRIGHT : 222-235 (Chapter 11),/ 213-225 (Chapter 10)
Other readings:
- Mellor: “The law bestowing power on the emperor” Lex de Imperio Vespasiani, pages 8-9.
Or you can find a more precise translation at this link:
http://droitromain.upmf-grenoble.fr/Anglica/vespas_johnson.html
Questions:
- Find the passage in which it is said that Vespasian has the right to make and pass laws.
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Wednesday
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BOATWRIGHT : 235-246 (Chapter 11),/ 225-236 (Chapter 10)
Other readings:
none
Questions:
none
TEST 2 (Chapters 7-9)
(20 minutes long)
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Thursday
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BOATWRIGHT : 247-262, 268-271 (Chapter 12),/ 237-251, 256-260 (Chapter 11)
Other readings:
- Mellor: Pliny the Younger pages 392-4 (Letters between Pliny and Trajan on the Christians)
- Shelton Jo-Ann: Judaism pages 404-6, Christianity pages 406-416, Syncretism page 417
Questions:
- What was the Roman religious policy for the Christian at the time of Pliny the Younger and Trajan, as you can deduct from their letters?
- Think about Roman reaction to Christianity. How did Christianity differ from the other religions?
- Was Christianity considered different from Judaism, in the eyes of the Romans?
- Which religion seemed more tolerant? The official Roman religion or Christianity? Why so?
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Week 5
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N.B: from this week the reading is only from the second edition of our textbook.
The Age of the Soldier-Emperors: the case of Aurelian
Diocletian and the Tetrarchy
Constantine: the first Christian emperor
The rise of Christianity and the Edict of Religious Toleration
The fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 AD)
The reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire
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Monday
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BOATWRIGHT : 261-273 (Chapter 12)
Other readings:
Mellor: Eusebius 537-541 (Life of Constantine I.26-38)
Mellor : Lactanctius 525-526 (On the death of the persecutors)
Questions:
- How does the description of the life of Constantine by Eusebius differ from the lives of previous emperors and in general as one written by older authors?
- What is the role of the deity in Constantine’s life, according to Eusebius? Is it similar to the role of other deities in the lives of previous emperors?
- How can we say that the main recipient of the Edict of Milan were the Christians?
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Tuesday
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BOATWRIGHT: 281-291, 298-301 (Chapter 13)
Other readings:
- Mellor: Ammianus Marcellinus pages 565-6, 569-572 (Julian the Apostate XXV 1 and 4)
- Montesquieu: Chapter 17th (Change in the State),
Questions:
- Montesquieu’s judgment on Constantine. Is it good or bad? Which are the things which Montesquieu analyzes on Constantine?
-What actions weakened Rome, as the Capital of the Western Roman Empire, according to M?
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Wednesday
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BOATWRIGHT: 302, 305, 311, 320-322 (Chapter 14)
Other readings:
- Montesquieu: Chapter 18th (New Maxims adopted by the Romans).
Questions:
- The Roman army had become a burden from being originally an asset. How did it happen, according to M?
- According to Montesquieu, what was the reason that made the Romans become pray of all peoples?
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Thursday
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Review
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Friday
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FINAL EXAM (Chapters 7-14)
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