BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course enables students to reconstruct the synchronic and diachronic development of Roman history and provides the necessary tools to understand the main aspects characterizing the Roman civilization (political-institutional, socio-economic and religious factors), from the archaic age to Late Antiquity. At the end of the course, students should be able to place the most representative events and figures within the correct chronological and geographical contexts. They will be able to argue with language properties and use the specific vocabulary regarding the historiographical and cultural concepts illustrated in the course and critically read the sources, appropriately using the main repertoires and digital tools, suitable for researching and reading the sources themselves.
Course Prerequisites
Critical reasoning skills and interest in the historical development of the ancient world. Familiar with the use of historical atlases, to a correct contextualization of events. Even a basic knowledge of Latin is advisable.
Teaching Methods
The course consists of lectures aimed at achieving the objectives of the course already outlined. Classroom dialogue with the lecturer is an integral part of the teaching method and will be developed by encouraging students to take an active part in commenting on the testimonies presented in class. All the materials examined will also be published on the course's Moodle page.
Assessment Methods
The examination will be only oral and the assessment will be in thirtieths. The examination will be structured in the form of a dialogue and will focus on a series of questions relating to the entire program (including materials entered into moodle), to test the student's ability to carry out a critical analysis of the cultural-historical period. For non-attenders students, preparation will also be required on further specialized contributions, which will be appropriately indicated in the bibliography.
Contents
The course aims to follow the main guidelines and key nodes in the historical and socio-economic evolution of the Roman world, with particular attention to the institutions, that have progressively developed. The critical reading of sources (historical, literary, and material) will be encouraged to go through precisely the evolutionary stages of Roman political and religious thought. Short prosopographic insights will not be neglected. We will follow the conventional periodization proposed by the main manuals for the study of Roman history, therefore, in strict chronological order the topics covered will be as follows: monarchical age (early political and religious institutions); republican age (development of the magistracies, patrician-plebeian conflict, Rome's expansion in the Italic peninsula and the Mediterranean, models of annexation and citizenship, the concepts of Romanization and imperialism, agrarian reform, social warfare, Pompey and Caesar, and civil war); imperial age (institutional, political, and cultural transformations, the 'Julio-Claudian' and 'Flavian' dynasties, the 2nd century AD. C.: from the apogee to the breakdown of equilibrium, the late imperial age: from the 'Severan' dynasty to the crisis of the 3rd century); Late Antiquity ('dominato', the Constantinian age, the 4th century between paganism and Christianity, the transformation of the Western Roman Empire and the evolution of the Eastern Roman Empire).
Online Resources
More information
It is recommended that you pay attention to the bibliography indicated for exam preparation: the texts indicated for 'non-attenders' will be requested from students who fail to attend at least three-quarters of the course and are to be prepared in addition to those indicated for 'attenders'. It is clear that the entire bibliography indicated remains valid advice for personal study for all students, including those attending. The use of a good historical atlas is recommended for all students (appropriate guidance will be provided during the course). The lecturer will be available during office hours to provide further information about specific questions or in-depth studies. In particular, for all students with PDP or Erasmus students, please refer to the specific University regulations; however, it is suggested to contact the lecturer by e-mail to arrange a meeting.