History 21.5: Rome and the Mediterranean World (3271)

Spring 2007 -- TF 10:50 AM – 12:05 PM

Professor M. L. King

Schedule

Description * Requirements * Bibliography * Contact me * MLKHome
Session  Date Topic Assignment    Readings
1 1/30 Introduction    
2 2/2 The Hellenistic world and ancient Italy  
1 Maccabees 8:1-18
3 2/6 The Etruscans  
Herodotus and Livy, Reports on the Etruscans
4 2/9 Roman founding and monarchy  
Livy, 1:49-1:60
5 2/13 The Roman republic to c. 250: patricians and plebeians Writing sample (ungraded)
  1. Polybius, Roman constitution
  2. Twelve Tables
6 2/16 Society and culture of republican Rome  
Sources: on social networks BB
7 2/20 The conflict with Carthage: beginnings  
  1. Constitution of Carthage  
  2. Polybius, Rome and Carthage compared
  3. Polybius, Roman military institutions
8 2/23 Hannibal and the Scipios Quiz 1  
  1. Polybius, Character of Hannibal and
  2. Polybius, the destruction of Carthage
  3. Appian, Scipio takes Carthage
    4.
9 2/27 The Conquest of Greece  
  1. Polybius, Destruction of Corinth
  2. Plutarch, the triumph of Aemilius Paullus, 32-35
10 3/2 The age of the Gracchi  
Plutarch, Life of Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
11 3/6 Slavery and Roman society  
  1. Three slave revolts  
  2. Sources: on slavery BB
12 3/9 Roman religion in the republican age Essay 1 
  1. Accounts of Roman state religion  BB
  2. Livy, the self-sacrifice of Decius (295 BCE)
  3. Livy, Prayer of Scipio Africanus (204 BCE)
  4. Sources: on Bacchus, Cybele, Isis
13 3/13 From Marius and Sulla to the First Triumvirate  
  1. Cicero, from On the Republic
  2. Cicero, against Verres BB

 
14 3/16 Cicero  

Selected letters
15 3/20 Caesar’s triumph and fall  
  1. Plutarch, Caesar, excerpt (Part IV)
  2. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act III Scene 1 
16 3/23 Augustus and the principate  
  1. The Deeds of the Divine Augustus and
  2. Augustus’ legislation
17 3/27 The Augustan legacy  
  1. Juvenal, Satire VI  and
  2. Sources: on imperial society BB
18 3/30 The Julio-Claudian emperors Quiz 2 

Suetonius, Life of Caligula
19 4/13 Seneca and Tacitus  
  1. Seneca: from On Tranquility of Mind
  2. Tacitus, the death of Seneca
  3. Tacitus, Agricola
20 4/17 Expansion into Europe  

Tacitus, Germania
21 4/20 From the Flavians to the Severans  
  1. Josephus, The Jewish War, the Roman army
  2. Josephus, The Jewish War, imperial triumph 71 CE
  3.  Pliny the Younger, correspondence with Trajan
  4.  Aelius Spartianus, Life of Hadrian, excerpt
22 4/24 Pax Romana: economy and society  
  1. Quintilian, Institutes, book I
  2. Pliny the Elder, a wealthy Roman’s fortune
  3. Statius, a Roman seaside villa
  4. Pliny the Younger, Letters III.1, a Roman gentleman
  5. Macrobius, Saturnalia, a Roman banquet
  6. Tacitus, on a slave who murdered his master
  7. Seneca, Epistle 7: a gladiatorial game
  8. Pliny the Elder, on  Pompeii
23 4/27 Religious change: Rome and the Jews Essay 2
  1. Josephus, Siege and fall of Jerusalem
  2. Josephus, Masada
  3. Roman Sources on Jews and Judaism BB
24 5/1 Religious change: Christianity  

Acts of the Apostles (chapters 1-17)
25 5/4 Diocletian and Constantine  
  1. Diocletian, Edict on prices
  2. Diocletian, Edicts against the Christians
  3. Eusebius, Conversion of Constantine  
  4. Galerius, Constantine, Edicts of toleration
26 5/8 The Christianization of the Empire  
  1. Christians charged with cannibalism  
  2. Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas
  3. Theodosius on religion
  4. Augustine, Confessions, conversion narrative
27 5/11 The fall of Rome in the West  
  1. Jordanes, History of the Goths, ch20  
  2. Procopius of Caesarea, Alaric’s sack of Rome, 410
28 5/15 Europe, Byzantium, and Islam Quiz 3
  1. St. Gregory of Tours, the conversion of Clovis  
  2. Justinian, Corpus Iuris Civilis, selections  
  3. Qur’an selections
  TBA Final exam