CLASSICS/HISTORY 122
HISTORY OF ROME
FALL 2008
Professor Rodgers
10:10-11:00 MWF
481 Main Street, room 301
427 Waterman

Required Texts:

Max Cary, Howard H. Scullard. A History of Rome down to the Reign of Constantine (= C-S)
Polybius. The Rise of the Roman Empire (cited by book and chapter). Penguin
Cicero. Selected Works (= Works) (cited by work or page numbers)
Caesar. Civil War Oxford (cited by book)
Livy. The Rise of Rome (Books 1-5). Oxford (cited by book)
Tacitus. Complete Works: Annals, Histories, Agricola, Germania, Dialogus (A Dialogue on Oratory) (cited by work and book)

Some texts online:

Livy Ab urbe condita
Livy Periochae with a link to another translation of the surviving books of Livy
Plutarch's Lives
Suetonius' Lives of the Twelve Caesars
Perseus with many texts, including Cicero, Polybius, Sallust, Tacitus
There are translated texts of many of the early church fathers at tertullian.org
Lacus Curtius has a variety of texts and other features, among them the incomparable Historia Augusta
Maps of various provinces of the Roman empire

NOTE: THIS SYLLABUS IS PROVISIONAL, SO PLEASE DON'T PRINT IT OUT AND TREAT IT AS IMMUTABLE.

Calendar and Assignments

The reading assignments are liable to change from time to time. Be sure to check. Items in square brackets are not required but recommended. You are supposed to read the things listed for each class before class that day. Links to things on line, unless in square brackets or indented (e.g., links to the XII Tables are for interest only), are also assigned reading.

Link to information on research projects

Roman Names with a list of abbreviations used for first names

September
3  Sources; Greeks, Etruscans, Italians, Latium, and Rome
The seven hills of Rome

Map of Italy

5  The Kings of Early Rome
    Livy book 1; C-S chapters 1-4, 6
  Outline of Livy 1-5
Regions of the city

Rome and its neighbors in Latium

Maps showing Roman expansion

8  Roman Social and Political Structure, and Religion
    Livy books 2-3; C-S chapter 5

Consuls of the Roman Republic
10  Conflict of the Orders I. The Latins and Other Italians
    Livy book 4; C-S chapters 7 and 8.1-3
Remains of the XII Tables (in Latin)
Some of the old Laws (in English)
Another English version

Publishing the Rules

12  The Gauls. Conflict of the Orders II
    Livy book 5 [and 6-7]; Plutarch Life of Camillus; C-S chapters 8.4 and 9
Chronological Table of Civil and Military Events
15  Samnite wars; Pyrrhus
     Plutarch Life of Pyrrhus; [Livy books 8-10]; C-S chapter 10
Map of Greek and Phoenician colonization

Map of Northern Italy

Map of Southern Italy

17  Rome in the Third Century BCE
    Polybius book 1; C-S chapter 11

19  The First Punic War
    Polybius book 2.14-36; C-S chapter 12

Map of Sicily

22  The Second Punic War
    Polybius books 3, 7-11, 15; Plutarch Lives of Q. Fabius Maximus and M. Claudius Marcellus; C-S chapter 13
    [Livy Books 21-30; Study guide for Livy]

Rome and Carthage in 218 BCE
24  The Macedonian Wars and the Greek East
    Polybius book 2.2-12, 18; Plutarch Lives of T. Quinctius Flamininus and L. Aemilius Paullus; C-S chapters 15 and 16
Hellenistic kingdoms

Rulers of major Hellenistic kingdoms

A Macedonian phalanx

26   Examination (through end of Second Punic War)

29  Rome in the West: Northern Italy, Gaul, Spain
    Polybius books 36, 39; [Livy books 35-40;] C-S chapter 14

October
1  146 BCE

3  Roman Government
    Polybius book 6; C-S chapters 17 and 18

6  Second-Century Rome
     Plutarch Life of M. Porcius Cato (censor) ; [Livy books 41-45]; C-S chapter 19

Dramatis Personae: Major players for the years 134-43 BCE
8  The Gracchi
     Plutarch Lives of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus; C-S chapters 20 and 21.1

10  Marius. The Social War
     Plutarch Life of Marius; C-S chapters 21.2-6 and 22

Rome in Italy 500-100 BCE

Roman and Italian minted propaganda (the links for the relevant coins are at the very bottom of the page)

13  Sulla and Mithradates
     Plutarch Life of Sulla; [Plutarch Life of Sertorius]; C-S chapter 23.1-2
Background on Mithradates VI
15  Sulla's Settlement. Cicero
    Cicero On Old Age (Works) and Works pp. 61-69; Oration in defense of the Manilian Law; C-S chapters 23.3-6 and 24

17  Pompey, Lucullus, Crassus
    Plutarch Life of L. Licinius Lucullus; C-S chapter 25

20  First-Century Rome
     Cicero Against Verres (Works), fragments of In toga candida, his election speech; C-S chapter 29

The Roman Forum
22  Caesar in Rome, Gaul and Britain
    Cicero Works pp. 69-77; [Caesar Gallic War, Civil War book 1]; C-S chapter 26

Map of Western Provinces
24  VCLA meeting: no class

27  Civil War (I)
    Cicero Works pp. 78-90; Plutarch Life of M. Porcius Cato (Vticensis); C-S chapter 27

29  Civil War (II) and the Second Triumvirate
     Cicero On Duties III and Second Philippic (Works), Works pp. 90-98; Plutarch Lives of M. Antonius and M. Iunius Brutus; C-S chapter 28

Coin Portraits of Cleopatra and M. Antonius
31  The Augustan Settlement
     Tacitus Annals Book 1; Augustus' Res gestae; (Res gestae divi Augusti can also be found here); C-S chapter 30
  Notes on Tacitus

November
3  Examination (through 31 BCE)

5  Augustus and Tiberius
    Tacitus Annals Books 2.82-88, 3.18-36, 3.49-76, 4.1-36; C-S chapter 31

Trade routes in the first century CE
7  The Julio-Claudians
    Tacitus Annals Books 11-13; C-S chapters 33 and 34

10  The First Century CE
     Tacitus Annals Books 14-16

List of Provinces as of 69 CE

Map of the Roman Provinces

12  The Year of Four Emperors
    Tacitus Histories Books 1, 3.59-86, 4.1-52, 5.1-13; C-S chapter 35; Suetonius Lives of Galba, Otho, Vitellius

List of Roman Emperors from Augustus to Heraclius

14  The Flavians
    Tacitus Agricola; Suetonius Lives of Vespasian, Titus, Domitian; C-S chapter 36

Research Project due by 5:00 p.m. at 481 Main Street
Leave in my office (room 301) or in box outside office door, not in mailboxes downstairs

17  The Best of Emperors
    Tacitus Dialogus (A Dialogue on Oratory)

19  The Five Good Emperors. The Second Century CE
    C-S chapters 37 and 39

Expansion of Rome 264 BCE - 180 CE
21  The Provinces of the Empire. Commerce
    C-S chapter 38

Happy Thanksgiving

December 1  Commodus and the Severi
    C-S chapter 40
Provinces of the Eastern Roman Empire
3  The Third Century CE
    C-S chapter 41
Narrative: Gallienus to Theodosius I
5  The Tetrarchy
    C-S chapter 42

8  Constantine and the Neo-Flavians

10  The Fourth Century CE and the End of the Empire in the West
    C-S chapters 43-44

12  Final Examination at 8:00 a.m. in 427 Waterman

There are two 50-minute examinations and a final examination.

There will be one research project consisting of an annotated bibliography and a thesis statement. The bibliography must contain both primary and secondary sources and an assessment of those sources. Preliminary drafts are strongly encouraged. Late projects cost five percentage points per weekday (weekends free).

Link to information on research projects

Final grade will be computed as follows: 25% for each examination (including the final), 25% for the research project.

Telephone 656-4607
bsaylor@zoo.uvm.edu

Office hours: Monday 3:30-5:00, Wednesday 2:30-3:30, Friday 9:00-10:00 and by appointment

Last updated: 28 October 2008
Send Comments to: Barbara Rodgers, barbara.rodgers@uvm.edu
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All Rights Reserved.