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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 2014
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Massimo Betello
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MTWTH 4:00 PM 5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”
George Orwell, Nineteen-eighty-four.
“Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain forever a child.”
Cicero Orator.
“What experience and history teach is this — that nations and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted upon any lessons they might have drawn from it.”
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Lectures on the Philosophy of History.
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 textbook, 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.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course surveys the history of ancient Rome and Italy. We will follow the development of the Roman State, from the monarchic phase to the rise and collapse of the Roman Empire, ending with the deposition of the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. The time encompassed is vast and the events numerous: we will emphasize fundamental facts and key topics such as the changes in Roman politics, the causes of the misgovernment which brought down the Republic, how the hollow skeleton of the Republic was used to house the Principate of Augustus, the rise of the Roman Empire, and the success of Christianity, to mention just a few.
Readings will include writings from ancient authors (i.e. Polybius, Cicero, Livy, Suetonius, Tacitus, Caesar, Augustus), from modern historians and archaeologists (i.e. Boatwright, Carandini, Montesquieu), made at times more significant by the use of art, architecture and archaeology.
The virtual learning environment Moodle will be used in this course to post announcements, grades and slides, and to permit the peer-review of the students’ presentations: please register at moodle.johncabot.edu, upload a portrait of you in your Moodle profile and enroll in this course (the password is caesar).
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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. 2nd ed. (2013) | Boatwright, Mary Taliaferro, Daniel J Gargola, Noel Emmanuel Lenski, and Richard J. A Talbert | Oxford University Press | 9780199987559 | | | | | |
| The Historians of Ancient Rome. An anthology of the major writings. 3rd editions (2012) | Mellor Ronald | Routledge | 978-0-415-52716-3 | E-BOOK | This e-book is FREELY available from the JCU library WEBSITE. | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments |
| Considerations on the causes of the greatness of the Romans and their decline | Montesquieu Charles | Hackett Publishing Company (1999) | 0-87220-496-0 | DG210 .M778 | FREELY available on line at the address: http://www.constitution.org/cm/ccgrd_l.htm |
| Rome: day one | Carandini Andrea | Princeton University Press (2011) | 9780691139227 | DG233.3 .C375 | |
| As the Romans did: a sourcebook in Roman Social History | Shelton Jo-Ann | Oxford University Press (1988) | 9780195089738 | HN10.R7 S45 | |
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Homework assignments | During the semester students will be asked to write the answers to questions regarding the daily reading assignments.
They will be randomly collected in class: the students are kindly asked to type those questions and organize them by day in order to facilitate grading (do not forget to write your name on the top of the page). | 10% |
| Readings and classroom participation. | The students are asked to complete the readings before coming to class and to participate appropriately to class discussion about the readings. | 10% |
| 2 tests | Dates: see schedule.
These short tests (20 minutes) are created to foster a regular study of the subject and get the students ready for the major exams.
Format: short answers, multiple choices, true-false, identifications, map questions, fill-in-the-blanks.
| 20% (10% each) |
| Midterm exam | Date: see schedule.
The topics tested will be those of the first half of the semester.
It will be made up by 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 using short essays.
More specific details will be given during the semester. | 30% |
| Final exam | Date: Friday August 1
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% |
| 5 extra credit assignments | Voluntary and not requested. Most of them will be personal visits to archeological remains pertinent to the daily topics. Students will be asked to take pictures and write a very short paragraph about the areas visited. Some may request the payment of a ticket, others may not. Students do not need to complete these extra credit assignments to get the final grade of A. Each assignment will be singularly evaluated. Students are allowed to do only 5 extra credit assignments, no more. | 5% (1% for each of them) |
-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.
Students are allowed THREE unexcused absences. Each unexcused absence beyond three will result in the lowering of the final grade by one degree (e.g. from A to A-).
More than 5 unexcused absences will have you fail the class. As from the university catalog:
“When the student misses more than the maximum number of classes allowed by the syllabus, the instructor refers the student to the Assistant Dean for Student Academic Affairs.
Absences due to illness, hospitalization, death in the family, or other situations of similar gravity will normally be excused. Absences due to travel difficulties, misunderstanding on the part of the student, or personal convenience will not be excused.
Absence from a class session does not exempt a student from the completion of all the required work for a course. The student is responsible for making up any missed work, and for covering the material covered in any missed class session.
A student absent from a class meeting in which a final examination, mid-term or other major examination has been scheduled will be officially excused only if the student:
1. notifies the Office of the Assistant Dean for Student Academic Affairs of his/her inability to attend before the beginning of the class meeting for which the examination is scheduled;
2. subsequently presents to the same office documented evidence of a serious difficulty preventing attendance.”
Please, refer to the university catalog for any other doubts regarding attendance policy.
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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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John Cabot University - History of Ancient Rome and Italy – Summer II 2014
Prof. Massimo Betello
Weekly schedule: topics, assigned readings and assignments
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Week 1
Jun 31 – Jul 6
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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 31
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BOATWRIGHT: 1-14 (Chapter 1)
Other readings:
- 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 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 1
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BOATWRIGHT: 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 121-125 (I.4-8), 143-151 (I.48-60).
Questions:
- 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?
- The two Tullias and Lucretia: their significance within Livy’s aims. Compare them.
- Who raped Lucretia?
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Wednesday 2
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BOATWRIGHT: 24-41, 43-45 (Chapter 2)
(Samnite wars, and wars against the Greeks of Italy will be explained in class).
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 3
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BOATWRIGHT : 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
Jul 7-13
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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 7
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BOATWRIGHT : 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?
- Are there any historical figures of the modern times which remind you of the Gracchi brothers? Why?
- Why does Appian say that his history is worth of attention?
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Tuesday 8
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BOATWRIGHT: 94-106 (Chapter 5)
Other readings: none
Questions: none
Test 1 (Chapters 1-3)
(20 minute long)
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Wednesday 9
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BOATWRIGHT : 107-120 (Chapter 5 and 6)
Other readings: none
Questions: none
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Thursday 10
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BOATWRIGHT : 124-126, 130-135 (Chapter 6) (The sections about Mithridates will be done in class)
Other readings:
Mellor: Sallust, pages 50-57, 64-65 (The Catilinarian Conspiracy 1-16, 60-61).
Questions about Sallust’s reading:
- According to Sallust, why did the Romans have lack of good writers of history?
- According to Sallust, which are the “root of all evils”?
- Which is the problem in Rome at the time of Catiline, as suggested by Sallust? It is mainly one thing, I think.
- 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
July 14-20
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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 14
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BOATWRIGHT : 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 do you think that 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 15
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BOATWRIGHT : 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 16
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MIDTERM (Chapters 1-6)
Duration: the entirety of the class time.
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Thursday 17
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BOATWRIGHT : 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
July 21-27
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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 21
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BOATWRIGHT : 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),
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 22
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BOATWRIGHT : 213-225 (Chapter 10)
Other readings:
- Mellor: Tacitus pages 374-378 (III.66-72. Year 69 AD: burning of the temple of IOM)
Questions:
- Why was Tacitus so upset by the burning of the Temple of Iupiter Optimus Maximus?
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Wednesday 23
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BOATWRIGHT : 225-236 (Chapter 10)
Other readings:
- Shelton Jo-Ann: Leisure activities pages 307-9, Circus events pages 337-339, Arena events pages 348-354 (up to rounding up the animals)
Questions:
- In what are the functions of athletic activities similar and different to our modern conceptions?
- Can you find modern activates and locations which are similar to those described in the reading? Where are the similarities? And the differences?
- Gladitorial games as “The hunger games” of Rome? Similarities and differences.
TEST 2 (Chapters 7-9)
(20 minutes long)
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Thursday 24
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BOATWRIGHT : 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
July 28-August 1
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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 28
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BOATWRIGHT : 261-273 (Chapter 12)
Other readings:
Mellor: Eusebius 537-541 (Life of Constantine I.26-38)
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?
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Tuesday 29
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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:
- There seem to be a contradiction in what Ammianus write about Julian. Can you find it?
- 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 30
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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 31
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Review
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Friday August 1
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FINAL EXAM (Chapters 7-14)
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