BA Ancient History and History

This course will examine Roman attitudes to the legendary and historical past as they developed in the Republic and early Empire. It will also look at Roman responses to other cities, nations and peoples with whom they came into contact, including other Italic communities, as well as the Gauls and the Greeks. Above all, the course will consider Roman attitudes to the city of Rome itself, with special emphasis on sites of religious and political significance. Topics covered will include.

• the development of the myth of Troy in the late Republic
• the ‘Roman virtues'
• temples and religious practice as the focus of national feeling
• the symbolic significance of the Capitol, the Aventine and the Palatine

For those reading the texts only in translation: none. For those reading some of the texts in Latin: Level 2: (at least) CAHE30182 Intensive Latin 2 or equivalent (higher is fine)

Those taking CAHE30110 Advanced Latin 1 alongside this course unit may choose to take the linguists’ version of the course. Those taking CAHE30210 Advanced Latin 2 or higher in the same year as this course must take the linguists’ version.

Anti-requisite: This course cannot be combined with CLAH 33021 National Identity and the Roman Past

(for all students)

to enable students to broaden and deepen their knowledge of the Roman world by studying a range of texts (across several genres) that explore the exemplary function of the past in Roman culture

to develop further the skills, intellectual, practical and transferable, acquired in study of Roman history and literature during the previous year;

(for those students reading some texts in Latin)

to consolidate and develop the knowledge of the Latin language acquired during the previous year by focusing on the reading of relevant selections of literary prose and verse

At level 2, emphasis will be placed on a core collection of texts offering a mainly illustrative dimension to the topics covered.

By the end of this course students will  have acquired:

Weekly: 1 lecture plus tutorials

Lectures will provide a framework of information and models for interpretative work which will be explored in more depth in seminar sessions.

• Broad and detailed knowledge of  traditional myths of early Rome in Roman historiographical and poetic traditions
• Understanding of the nature of patriotism and identity in Rome in the late Republic and early Empire

• Subject-specific skills, including sophisticated evaluation of literary texts as sources of evidence for ancient culture

• Transferable skills and personal qualities include the ability to construct an argument in written and oral form, to pose questions about complex issues
• To assimilate and summarise large quantities of evidence
• To locate and retrieve relevant information from primary sources
• To conduct bibliographic searches
• To present the results in a professional manner with appropriate reference to sources and modern published scholarship
• To use e-resources and gain knowledge of research methods and resources
• To manage time and resources
• To engage in critical discussion.

• Written feedback on formative and summative assessment (see above)
• Additional one-to-one feedback (during the consultation hour or by making an appointment)

All students taking the course will read (in English) a ‘core’ selection of texts from a wide range of ancient authors (including Polybius, Suetonius, Ovid, Livy, Cicero, Vergil, Pliny the Elder, Macrobius and Augustine).

The linguists’ reading prescription will include (in addition to a ‘core’ selection of texts in translation) selections from the following authors/texts in Latin: Horace (especially the ‘Roman Odes’), Livy (Book 5), Augustus’ Res Gestae.

Suggested preliminary reading :

Edwards,C. (1996) Writing Rome: Textual Approaches to theCity, Cambr idge

Flower (1996) Ancestor Masks and Aristocratic Power in Roman Culture, Oxford

Fox, M. (1996) Roman Historical Myths, Oxford

Miles, G. (1995) Livy: Reconstructing Early Rome, Cornell

Torelli, M. (1999) Tota Italia: Essays in the Cultural Formation of Roman Italy, Oxford

Wiseman, T.P. (1995) Remus, A Roman Myth , Cambridge