Roman History
A.Y. 2023/2024
Learning objectives
The course aims to provide students with an exhaustive preparation as to the development of the history of ancient Rome from its foundation to the fall of the Empire, by focusing especially on political, institutional and socio-economical problems, and with a critical approach to the confronted issues.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge
Upon successful completion of the course students will have acquired a detailed knowledge of the most important and significant figures and facts of the history of ancient Rome in their related chronological and geographical contexts.
Skills
The students shall also be capable of conveying historical information in a clear and effective way, by employing appropriate linguistic instruments such as adequate language and specific vocabulary.
Upon successful completion of the course students will have acquired a detailed knowledge of the most important and significant figures and facts of the history of ancient Rome in their related chronological and geographical contexts.
Skills
The students shall also be capable of conveying historical information in a clear and effective way, by employing appropriate linguistic instruments such as adequate language and specific vocabulary.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Rome. A history for generations
The course is structured in three Parts of 20 hours each, A, B and C.
Part A: From the City's origins to the age of imperialism (753-146 BCE)
In this first part the problems related to the reconstruction of Rome's most archaic history will be addressed. After a methodological introduction, aimed at outlining the nature of the documentary sources in our possession, some of the best known historiographical theories about the earliest phase of the city will be analysed. We will then move on to the early republican period, to outline the contours of the clash between the two main components of the civitas, the patricians and the plebeians. Finally, the last lessons of the first part will be devoted to the expansion of Rome in Italy and the Mediterranean.
The guiding thread of the analysis will be the importance of the generational element in delineating the political clash. The generation - according to a formulation introduced by the sociologist Karl Mannheim - in fact constitutes an important aggregating factor to unite individuals directly involved in certain founding events. After outlining the characteristics that make a group a generational unit, in this first part we will see how some of the most important political junctures in Rome's most archaic history can be interpreted in the light of the clash (or encounter) between generations.
Part B: The crises of the republic: from the reforms of the Gracchi to the establishment of the Augustan principate (133-27 BCE)
This second part will deal with the delicate period that led to the crisis of the republican system and the establishment, following a long series of civil wars, of the principate as a new form of government. The lectures will focus primarily on the reforms implemented by the Gracchi brothers, which led to a rapid radicalisation of the political confrontation and the introduction of violence as a weapon of contention between the parties. The events of the civil wars that involved the most influential members of the senatorial aristocracy in rapid succession, from Marius and Sulla, to Pompey and Caesar, to Octavian and Antony, will then follow. An analysis of the reforms implemented by Octavian Augustus at the end of the last civil war will conclude this part. Again, the various phases of this very long civil war will be analysed in the light of the generational conflicts that pitted (first and foremost, but not only) the elements of the senatorial aristocracy against each other.
Part C: The Imperial Age: from Augustus to the crisis of the 3rd century A.D.
In this last part, we will follow the affirmation of the political and institutional system established by Augustus and the numerous crises generated mainly by the method of imperial succession, never fully defined by the founder of the principate. Once again, the analysis of the main political junctures of this period will be carried out bearing in mind the importance of the generational clashes, which pitted, from time to time, nostalgics of the republican system (or of a management of imperial power that took into account, above all, the role of the Senate) against followers of a new conception of power based above all on the strength of the armies.
The course is structured in three Parts of 20 hours each, A, B and C.
Part A: From the City's origins to the age of imperialism (753-146 BCE)
In this first part the problems related to the reconstruction of Rome's most archaic history will be addressed. After a methodological introduction, aimed at outlining the nature of the documentary sources in our possession, some of the best known historiographical theories about the earliest phase of the city will be analysed. We will then move on to the early republican period, to outline the contours of the clash between the two main components of the civitas, the patricians and the plebeians. Finally, the last lessons of the first part will be devoted to the expansion of Rome in Italy and the Mediterranean.
The guiding thread of the analysis will be the importance of the generational element in delineating the political clash. The generation - according to a formulation introduced by the sociologist Karl Mannheim - in fact constitutes an important aggregating factor to unite individuals directly involved in certain founding events. After outlining the characteristics that make a group a generational unit, in this first part we will see how some of the most important political junctures in Rome's most archaic history can be interpreted in the light of the clash (or encounter) between generations.
Part B: The crises of the republic: from the reforms of the Gracchi to the establishment of the Augustan principate (133-27 BCE)
This second part will deal with the delicate period that led to the crisis of the republican system and the establishment, following a long series of civil wars, of the principate as a new form of government. The lectures will focus primarily on the reforms implemented by the Gracchi brothers, which led to a rapid radicalisation of the political confrontation and the introduction of violence as a weapon of contention between the parties. The events of the civil wars that involved the most influential members of the senatorial aristocracy in rapid succession, from Marius and Sulla, to Pompey and Caesar, to Octavian and Antony, will then follow. An analysis of the reforms implemented by Octavian Augustus at the end of the last civil war will conclude this part. Again, the various phases of this very long civil war will be analysed in the light of the generational conflicts that pitted (first and foremost, but not only) the elements of the senatorial aristocracy against each other.
Part C: The Imperial Age: from Augustus to the crisis of the 3rd century A.D.
In this last part, we will follow the affirmation of the political and institutional system established by Augustus and the numerous crises generated mainly by the method of imperial succession, never fully defined by the founder of the principate. Once again, the analysis of the main political junctures of this period will be carried out bearing in mind the importance of the generational clashes, which pitted, from time to time, nostalgics of the republican system (or of a management of imperial power that took into account, above all, the role of the Senate) against followers of a new conception of power based above all on the strength of the armies.
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisites for admission.
Teaching methods
The course will be delivered through lectures. Each lecture will be accompanied by a number of slides that will help illustrate the treated themes through schemes, maps, reproductions of inscriptions and images of archaeological material. Slides containing excerpts from literary sources (in translation) will be uploaded on the Ariel platform and will the subject of questions during the final exam (only for attending students).
During the course, particular attention will be paid to the specific vocabulary used to describe the topics under examination, so that students can learn to express historical issues using correct vocabulary (including technical vocabulary, e.g. relating to the political institutions of Rome).
Students will be encouraged to ask the teacher questions during the lecture in case of doubts concerning the topics addressed, and their active participation will be constantly solicited.
Regular attendance of the course lectures is recommended, especially in view of the fact that topics that are not covered in sufficient depth in the reference texts will be dealt with in class. This does not apply to non-attending students: they will find additional material in the supplementary bibliographical references.
During the course, particular attention will be paid to the specific vocabulary used to describe the topics under examination, so that students can learn to express historical issues using correct vocabulary (including technical vocabulary, e.g. relating to the political institutions of Rome).
Students will be encouraged to ask the teacher questions during the lecture in case of doubts concerning the topics addressed, and their active participation will be constantly solicited.
Regular attendance of the course lectures is recommended, especially in view of the fact that topics that are not covered in sufficient depth in the reference texts will be dealt with in class. This does not apply to non-attending students: they will find additional material in the supplementary bibliographical references.
Teaching Resources
Bibliographic indications and examination programme for attending students:
Programme for 6 credits:
Part A + Part B:
1) Knowledge of the topics covered in class (Part A + Part B).
2) Handbook: G. Geraci - A. Marcone, Storia romana, EDITIO MAIOR, Firenze, "Le Monnier" 2017 (ALL THE BOOK).
Programme for 9 credits:
Part A + Part B:
1) Knowledge of topics covered in lecture (Part A + Part B).
2) Handbook: G. Geraci - A. Marcone, Storia romana, EDITIO MAIOR, Firenze, "Le Monnier" 2017 (ALL THE BOOK).
Part C:
1) Knowledge of topics covered in lecture (Part C).
2) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Maria Teresa Schettino, La generazione dei padri tra memorie familiari e propaganda politica, in La generazione postsillana, Roma 2019, 97-120.
- M. A. Bonnefond, Senato e conflitti di generazioni nella Roma repubblicana: l'angoscia dei "patres conscripti" in E. Pellizer e N. Zorzetti, La paura dei padri nella società antica e medievale, Roma-Bari 1983, pp. 67-98.
Bibliographical indications and programme for NON-attending students:
Programme for 6 credits:
Part A:
1) Handbook: G. Geraci - A. Marcone, Storia romana, EDITIO MAIOR, Firenze, "Le Monnier" 2017 (ALL THE BOOK).
2) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Filippo Cassola, Lo scontro fra patrizi e plebei e la formazione della nobilitas, in AA.VV., Storia di Roma, Vol. 1, Einaudi 1988, pp. 451-481.
- Emilio Gabba, L'imperialismo romano, in AA.VV., Storia di Roma, Vol. 2.1, Einaudi 1990, pp. 189-233.
- Umberto Laffi, Il sistema di alleanze italico, in AA.VV. Storia di Roma, Vol. 2.1, Einaudi 1990, pp. 285-304.
Parte B:
1) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Maria Teresa Schettino, La generazione dei padri tra memorie familiari e propaganda politica, in La generazione postsillana, Roma 2019, 97-120.
- M. A. Bonnefond, Senato e conflitti di generazioni nella Roma repubblicana: l'angoscia dei "patres conscripti" in E. Pellizer e N. Zorzetti, La paura dei padri nella società antica e medievale, Roma-Bari 1983, pp. 67-98.
Programme for 9 credits:
Part A:
1) Handbook: Manuale: G. Geraci - A. Marcone, Storia romana, EDITIO MAIOR, Firenze, "Le Monnier" 2017 (ALL THE BOOK).
2) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Filippo Cassola, Lo scontro fra patrizi e plebei e la formazione della nobilitas, in AA.VV., Storia di Roma, Vol. 1, Einaudi 1988, pp. 451-481.
- Emilio Gabba, L'imperialismo romano, in AA.VV., Storia di Roma, Vol. 2.1, Einaudi 1990, pp. 189-233.
- Umberto Laffi, Il sistema di alleanze italico, in AA.VV. Storia di Roma, Vol. 2.1, Einaudi 1990, pp. 285-304.
Part B:
1) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Maria Teresa Schettino, La generazione dei padri tra memorie familiari e propaganda politica, in La generazione postsillana, Roma 2019, 97-120.
- M. A. Bonnefond, Senato e conflitti di generazioni nella Roma repubblicana: l'angoscia dei "patres conscripti" in E. Pellizer e N. Zorzetti, La paura dei padri nella società antica e medievale, Roma-Bari 1983, pp. 67-98.
Part C:
1) A. Marcone, Augusto, Salerno Editrice
Programme for 6 credits:
Part A + Part B:
1) Knowledge of the topics covered in class (Part A + Part B).
2) Handbook: G. Geraci - A. Marcone, Storia romana, EDITIO MAIOR, Firenze, "Le Monnier" 2017 (ALL THE BOOK).
Programme for 9 credits:
Part A + Part B:
1) Knowledge of topics covered in lecture (Part A + Part B).
2) Handbook: G. Geraci - A. Marcone, Storia romana, EDITIO MAIOR, Firenze, "Le Monnier" 2017 (ALL THE BOOK).
Part C:
1) Knowledge of topics covered in lecture (Part C).
2) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Maria Teresa Schettino, La generazione dei padri tra memorie familiari e propaganda politica, in La generazione postsillana, Roma 2019, 97-120.
- M. A. Bonnefond, Senato e conflitti di generazioni nella Roma repubblicana: l'angoscia dei "patres conscripti" in E. Pellizer e N. Zorzetti, La paura dei padri nella società antica e medievale, Roma-Bari 1983, pp. 67-98.
Bibliographical indications and programme for NON-attending students:
Programme for 6 credits:
Part A:
1) Handbook: G. Geraci - A. Marcone, Storia romana, EDITIO MAIOR, Firenze, "Le Monnier" 2017 (ALL THE BOOK).
2) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Filippo Cassola, Lo scontro fra patrizi e plebei e la formazione della nobilitas, in AA.VV., Storia di Roma, Vol. 1, Einaudi 1988, pp. 451-481.
- Emilio Gabba, L'imperialismo romano, in AA.VV., Storia di Roma, Vol. 2.1, Einaudi 1990, pp. 189-233.
- Umberto Laffi, Il sistema di alleanze italico, in AA.VV. Storia di Roma, Vol. 2.1, Einaudi 1990, pp. 285-304.
Parte B:
1) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Maria Teresa Schettino, La generazione dei padri tra memorie familiari e propaganda politica, in La generazione postsillana, Roma 2019, 97-120.
- M. A. Bonnefond, Senato e conflitti di generazioni nella Roma repubblicana: l'angoscia dei "patres conscripti" in E. Pellizer e N. Zorzetti, La paura dei padri nella società antica e medievale, Roma-Bari 1983, pp. 67-98.
Programme for 9 credits:
Part A:
1) Handbook: Manuale: G. Geraci - A. Marcone, Storia romana, EDITIO MAIOR, Firenze, "Le Monnier" 2017 (ALL THE BOOK).
2) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Filippo Cassola, Lo scontro fra patrizi e plebei e la formazione della nobilitas, in AA.VV., Storia di Roma, Vol. 1, Einaudi 1988, pp. 451-481.
- Emilio Gabba, L'imperialismo romano, in AA.VV., Storia di Roma, Vol. 2.1, Einaudi 1990, pp. 189-233.
- Umberto Laffi, Il sistema di alleanze italico, in AA.VV. Storia di Roma, Vol. 2.1, Einaudi 1990, pp. 285-304.
Part B:
1) Reading and study of the following three articles, which will be made available on the course's Ariel site:
- Maria Teresa Schettino, La generazione dei padri tra memorie familiari e propaganda politica, in La generazione postsillana, Roma 2019, 97-120.
- M. A. Bonnefond, Senato e conflitti di generazioni nella Roma repubblicana: l'angoscia dei "patres conscripti" in E. Pellizer e N. Zorzetti, La paura dei padri nella società antica e medievale, Roma-Bari 1983, pp. 67-98.
Part C:
1) A. Marcone, Augusto, Salerno Editrice
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination will consist of an oral test, during which the knowledge and skills acquired by the student during the course and the subsequent preparation of the examination through the study of the texts indicated in the syllabus and the notes and texts read and analysed in class will be tested.
On the one hand, the ability to correctly frame events and personalities in their historical context of reference will be tested by means of questions on different periods of the history of Rome; a detailed and precise knowledge of the major themes of the history of Rome, of specific episodes and problems of a political-institutional, military and social nature will be required.
On the other hand, it will be verified that the student is able to set up a coherent and logical discourse, to present themes and problems inherent to Roman history in their correct historical, chronological and geographical references, and through the use of appropriate language, including technical language.
Attending students taking the 6-credit examination must follow Parts A and B, prepare themselves on the lecture notes and study the texts indicated for Parts A and B.
Attending students taking the 9-credit examination must take Parts A, B and C, prepare their lecture notes and study the texts indicated for Parts A, B and C.
Non-attending students taking the 6-credit examination must study the texts indicated for Parts A and B.
Non-attending students taking the 9-credit examination should study the texts indicated for Parts A, B and C.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly invited to contact the teacher of the course in advance. Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or DSA must be agreed with the lecturer in consultation with the competent office.
On the one hand, the ability to correctly frame events and personalities in their historical context of reference will be tested by means of questions on different periods of the history of Rome; a detailed and precise knowledge of the major themes of the history of Rome, of specific episodes and problems of a political-institutional, military and social nature will be required.
On the other hand, it will be verified that the student is able to set up a coherent and logical discourse, to present themes and problems inherent to Roman history in their correct historical, chronological and geographical references, and through the use of appropriate language, including technical language.
Attending students taking the 6-credit examination must follow Parts A and B, prepare themselves on the lecture notes and study the texts indicated for Parts A and B.
Attending students taking the 9-credit examination must take Parts A, B and C, prepare their lecture notes and study the texts indicated for Parts A, B and C.
Non-attending students taking the 6-credit examination must study the texts indicated for Parts A and B.
Non-attending students taking the 9-credit examination should study the texts indicated for Parts A, B and C.
International or Erasmus incoming students are kindly invited to contact the teacher of the course in advance. Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or DSA must be agreed with the lecturer in consultation with the competent office.
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)