The last century of the Roman Republic is the best attested period in ancient history. Except for Plutarch's biographies and Appian's history, students read primary sources written by contemporaries of the events which they describe. Caesar's Commentaries on his conquest of "Gaul" (comprising modern France, the Low Countries, and part of Germany) and on the war he waged against his fellow citizens rank as outstanding literary endeavors as well as historical sources and propagandistic documents. Catullus' poetry, often scurrilous but always lively, reflects contemporary society and mores, and marks a change in the development of Roman literature. Cicero has left an immense corpus; his works include essays on philosophy and rhetoric, speeches defending his clients in court, political speeches delivered at various crises, uncut and unedited letters: these last not only give a rare insight into the mind of a very real person, but the collection includes letters to Cicero by a number of people, and give us our only extant writings by Caesar, Brutus, Marc Antony, Cato the younger, and other key players in the events of the Republic's last generation. Sallust, a younger contemporary and supporter of Julius Caesar, is the author of historical monographs on discrete episodes of late Republican history, those which best show, in his opinion, the polarity between different classes of Roman society. The readings in the course are designed to help students enter into the world of late Republican Rome, and to find parallels in contemporary social, political, and literary spheres. The story of the last century of the Roman republic is the story of how the Romans failed to repair or even to recognize cracks forming in the foundations of their state, and how as a result they lost their state as they knew it.

Texts:

Shotter, David. The Fall of the Roman Republic

Online:

Having trouble with Roman names? Here is a guide

List of magistrates 134-43 BCE with brief notes about persons and events

Roman political jargon

Chronology with maps giving an outline of major events in Republican history and various maps showing the growth of the Romans' territory

Map of the Roman Empire

Other Useful Maps

The reading assignments are supposed to be completed before you come to class each day, i.e., the first assignment in David Shotter's book should be read before 10 a.m. on 1 September.

September

Shotter, Introduction and chapters 1-2

Appian 1.1-27; Shotter chapter 3

Sallust BJ 1.1-72.2     Reading notes for Sallust

Sallust BJ 73.1-114.4; Appian 1.28-54     Reading notes for Appian

[Plutarch Life of Marius]

A portrait of Marius

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

Appian 1.55-107, Mithradatic Wars 10-28, 51-60      Background on Mithradates VI and notes on Appian's history of the war

[Plutarch Life of Sulla]

A portrait of Sulla

Cicero Pro Roscio Amerino (DS); Plutarch Life of Sulla 31-34

A portrait of Cicero

Appian 1.108-121; Sallust Histories (all); Plutarch Life of Crassus 1-12; Plutarch Life of Pompey 1-23; Shotter chapter 4

A portrait of Pompey

Cicero In Verrem I and II.5 §§ 80-189 (PS)

29 Foreign wars and domestic strife

Cicero De imperio Cn. Pompei (PS); Plutarch Life of Pompey 24-32
There is an online version of the oration that I have marked up with boldface font to indicate important words or concepts that Cicero emphasizes, along with notations of the sections of the speech and development of the argument, and some footnotes. The introduction and notes in the printed text are also very good, and the translation is much more modern, but there are no boldface markers.

October

Fragments of Cicero's campaign speech In toga candida with ancient commentary; Sallust BC 1.1-39.4; Cicero In Catilinam I (PS)

Sallust BC 39.5-61.9; Cicero In Catilinam II, III, IV (PS)

13 Cicero Pro Archia (DS) in defense of a poet, and of literature. Please read the oration (it is only 12 pages long) three times, and take different notes each time, as follows (the three parts make Paper 2):

1. What is the sense of the oration as a whole?

2. What are the transitions of thought? (or, What is the structure of the argument and how does one topic lead to another?)

3. What is remarkable about individual turns of phrase, expressions, figures of speech or rhetorical expressions?

Some rhetorical terms

Cicero Letters 4-31; Appian 2.8-18; Shotter chapter 5

A portrait of Caesar

Catullus Poems Nos. 29, 49, 52-58, 65, 67, 69, 71, 84, 91, 93-95, 113-116

Catullus Poems nos. 1, 5, 7-8, 11-16, 21-28, 35-45; Cicero Letters 32-51

Cicero Pro Caelio (DS); Catullus Poems nos. 70, 72, 75-77, 79, 83, 85-87, 92, 107

Paper 3 Due by 5:15 p.m. at 481 Main Street

November

Caesar BG books 1-2

Caesar BG books 5 and 7

Cicero Pro Milone (DS); Appian 2.19-25; note that according to the contemporary evidence (Fam. 3.10.10 and Att. 9.7b.2) Cicero had asked Pompey to supply the soldiers for Milo's trial, and for a guard for himself (and presumably his client)

References to Caesar and Pompey in Cicero's Letters to His Friends and to His Brother Quintus

Aulus Hirtius BG 8.48-54 (this is in Caesar BG pp. 219-222; Hirtius, who would be one of the consuls of 43 BCE, continued the account of the conquest of Gaul when Caesar did not finish it); Cicero Letters 67-106; Appian 2.26-69

Appian 2.70-105; Cicero Letters 107-134

Cicero Pro Marcello (PS); Appian 2.106-154; Shotter chapter 6

December

Cicero Letters 135-143; Philippic II (PS)

Cicero Letters 144-166; Appian 3.1-98

Plutarch Life of Cicero 43-49; Appian 4.1-30; Suetonius Life of Augustus 1-15; Shotter Chapter 7 and Epilogue

Final grade will be based upon: Class participation (including debate) (25%), Analyses of pro Archia (10%) (= Paper 2), Papers 1 and 3 (20% each), Paper 4 (25%)

Office hours:  3:00-4:00 Tuesday and Thursday and by appointment
Telephone 656-4607

There are three papers required in addition to the analyses on the defense of Archias and participation in the debate on Catilina's co-conspirators. Students should choose topics as early as possible and consult with me on direction, other works necessary to complete a successful paper, and any problems that arise. Most topics require reading ancient works other than those assigned for class. I recommend drafts for all papers; when submitting a draft, students should allow sufficient time before the due date, although I can return usually drafts the next class period after I receive them.

All papers must be based on ancient sources, and modern scholarship may be cited as appropriate. No online resources are acceptable with the exception of translations of ancient works (e.g., Plutarch's Lives or some other source).

Late papers will lose one letter grade (10%) for each weekday (not class meeting day) they are late. Late papers will not be accepted after one week from the due date.

Due dates: September 25 (Paper 1), October 29 (Paper 3), November 24 (Paper 4), Tuesday December 15 at 11:00 a.m. (rewrite of Paper 4 or any other paper(s))

You may send papers by e-mail but the following conditions apply:
The paper must arrive by the deadline.
Check to see if I send a confirmation message; e-mails sometimes get lost. If there is no confirmation message, assume that the paper has not arrived.
You still must deliver a printed copy of the paper

Papers 1 and 3. Choose any two of these topics. 5-7 pages. What does 5-7 pages mean? It means that a very carefully defined and closely argued paper with a font size that runs small (e.g. Times) and narrow margins will probably be able to fit onto 5 pages, but that it will be difficult to get away with anything less than 7. And you may make any paper as long as seems necessary to you, even if it exceeds the upper limit stated.

A.  Aims, methods, and subsequent reputation of Tiberius and/or Gaius Gracchus

B.  Sallust:
 History vs. rhetoric as a source: the type/quality/quantity/treatment of information in Sallust's Catiline compared to Cicero's Orations against Catiline. Choose one well defined aspect, which need not be Catiline himself
or
 History as rhetoric: political platforms and moral lessons in the BJ
or
 Who was Sallust's favorite person, and why?

C.  Narrative history vs historical monograph: Sallust vs Appian or Cassius Dio (this involves, perhaps by chance, the question of contemporary or near contemporary vs much later writers).

D. The New Age:
 The "new" poetry of Catullus: political poems, literary criticism, or longer poems (not assigned for class reading)

E. Cicero the orator and counsel for the defense
 Corruption in politics
or
 Corruption in private life
or
 The successful counsel for the defense
or
 Rhetorical practice
or
 Legal principles

F. Caesar's Propaganda
 The Gallic War and the representation of foreign peoples
or
 Caesar's defense of his activities in Gaul

G. Critical analysis of the role of one of these individuals:
 M. Aemilius Scaurus (cos. 115)
 P. Rutilius Rufus (cos. 105)
 M. Antonius (cos. 99)
 P. Licinius Crassus (cos. 97)
 L. Marcius Philippus (cos. 91)
 M. Livius Drusus (tr. pl. 91)
 P. Sulpicius Rufus (tr. pl. 88)
 L. Cornelius Cinna (cos. 87)
 Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius (cos. 80)
 Q. Lutatius Catulus (cos. 78)
 M. Aemilius Lepidus (cos. 78)
 L. Licinius Lucullus (cos. 74)
 P. Clodius Pulcher (tr. pl. 58)
 T. Annius Milo (pr. 55)
 L. Domitius Ahenobarbus (cos. 54)
 M. Porcius Cato (pr. 54)
 Ser. Sulpicius Rufus (cos. 51)
 M. Caelius Rufus (pr. 48)
 M. Aemilius Lepidus (cos. 42)
 L. Munatius Plancus (cos. 42)
 C. Asinius Pollio (cos. 40)

Final paper (Paper 4): Any of topics B through F or any theme relating to the readings for this class or others of the same period, e.g., any of Cicero's other orations, philosophical or rhetorical works, the poetry of Lucretius, Caesar's Civil War, Horace's Epodes, Augustus' Res gestae. 8-10 pages or longer, as appropriate. Important proviso: Topics A and G are not allowed for this paper (= no biographies).

There is no maximum length for these papers, but students should try to observe an Aristotelian mean.

Please tell me what your topics will be before you start working on thm.

Suggestions for background reading: M. Beard and M. Crawford, Rome in the Late Republic (Ithaca 1985). DG254 .B37 1985
M. Beard and M. Crawford, Rome in the Late Republic: Problems and Intrpretations (London 1999). DG254 .B37 1999
J. Boardman, J. Griffin, O. Murray, The Oxford History of the Roman World (Oxford 1991).
M. Crawford, The Roman Republic (Harvard 1982). DG235 .C7 1978, DG235 .C7 1993
Erik Hildinger, Swords against the Senate: the Rise of the Roman Army and the Fall of the Republic (Cambridge, MA 2002). DG254.2 .H558 2002
Arthur Keaveney. The Army in the Roman Revolution (London 2007). DG254.2 .K43 2007
T. Africa, The Immense Majesty (New York 1974). DG210 .A4 1991
H.H. Scullard, From the Gracchi to Nero 5th ed. (New York 1982). Detailed. DG254 .S35 1976b, DG254 .S35 1982, DG254 .S35 1988
E.S. Gruen, The Last Generation of the Roman Republic (Berkeley 1974). Very detailed. DG254.2 .G78