HISTORY 22

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the personalities, events, artistic and literary achievements of the golden age of Rome. The course will cover in detail the period from the Second Punic war to the early part of Trajan's reign (ca. 220 BCE - 100 CE). During this period, the Romans, led by their most influential senators, grew from a large city-state in central Italy to virtually the only political power in the Mediterranean basin. Their acceptance of other cultures was a curious mixture of assimilation and repugnance, as we shall see. But as the Roman senators were conquering the world, they engaged in many struggles against each other and other forces within the Roman state, and the ultimate struggle became one of who would rule the great empire which they conquered, and for whose benefit. In the end, although Rome was and has remained a great city, "Rome" (in Latin, Romanitas) became an idea, one which continues, for better or worse, to inform the history of Europe and, indeed, of the world.

The bulk of the reading for the course consists of primary sources (in As the Romans Did and Readings in Western Civilization, and from on-line resources, especially the Perseus web site): contemporary documents such as inscriptions, graffiti, laws, plays and poems, private letters and political speeches, histories written by the ancients themselves. The book Roman People gives a close look at some individual Romans, some better known than others, during certain very carefully delimited periods: this close attention to the role of people in history is rather like looking at the past through a telephoto lens. It will be very important for the students to do the reading assigned for each week prior to the first class of that week. To save most or all of the reading for some later date, e.g. the night before a test, is conducive not only to low grades but usually to a lower level of comprehension during class. At times part or all of the class will be devoted to things not covered in any of the readings. Worse, however, the instructor may pause from time to time to ask individuals about the readings.ÝStudents are responsible for all sources of information, oral and written, any of which is fair game for examinations.