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Economic and Social History of Classical Antiquity

A.Y. 2024/2025
9
Max ECTS
60
Overall hours
SSD
L-ANT/03
Language
Italian
Learning objectives
The aim of this course is to make the student aware of some rarely treated themes about ancient history, that is the economic structures of the Greek, Hellenistic and Roman Societies, with some necessaries allusions to Near-Eastern ancient Empires. The student will acquire knowledge of the agricultural organization and development, as well as of the agronomic thought of classical world. Then will be treated mine exploitation, banking activities and its influences on the development of "industrial" production and of the exchange, on local, interregional and international commerce and markets. The student will understand that the structure of ancient societies depend on their economic organization and development, as well as on some important cultural factors.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledges: the student will acquire a knowledge of the organisation of the main sectors of the economy of classical societies and he /she will consider all this in relation with richness and status parameters of people and social groups. The student will acquire the capacity of creating links between historical events and phaenomena and the economic structures as well as some fundamental cultural elements of Ancient societies. A historiographic, as well as a methodologic approach, is a central objective to obtain, in particular through the analysis of the documents -mainly in Greek and Latin-, but in general of all the sources (papyrological, archaeological, numismatic, epigraphical, literary) and their often apparent contradictions. Competences: the student must obtain a critical capacity of interpretation of documents and ancient sources through which it is possible to reconstruct the social and economic history of the Graeco-Roman world. For this purpose, Graeco-Roman Egypt will be a true "laboratory," being the area from where documentary material mostly comes. The critical method must be applied also to the interpretations of the historiographical thought.

Lesson period: Second semester

Lessons timetable

Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi

Exams calendar

Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Take a single course
Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Responsible
Bussi Silvia
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Parts A+B (40 hours, 6 CFU):
Introduction to the ancient economies and societies.
-Sources
-Methodological approaches
-Agriculture and agronomy
-Mines
-Indistrial production
-Bank
-Commerce: regional and international

Part C: Jews in Egypt, from Alexander the Great to emperor Claudius. This part will focus on Hellenistic (and partly Roman) Egypt as a case-study, with the aim of tracing the peculiarity of a multi-cuyltural society, especially focusing on Jews. We will retrace law, costumes, status, integration and participation of Jews in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, and then the changes under the Roman rule, in particular under the Julio-Claudian dynasty
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisites for admission. Better if the student has done exams of Greek and/or Roman History.
Teaching methods
The course is offered in a lecture format. All the topics will be presented to students, based on interpretative theories as well as sources, which the teacher will read in Italian translation. Attendance is not mandatory but highly recommended.
Teaching Resources
Studenti Frequentanti Magistrali

6 CFU
oltre agli appunti del corso:
1) A.Bowman, A. Wilson (eds), The Roman Agricultural Economy, Oxford 2013 (tranne il capitolo 3)
Oppure:
A. Marcone (a cura di), Storia del lavoro in Italia: l'età romana, Castelvecchi editore, 2016.
2) D.Foraboschi, S.Bussi, Integrazione e alterità. Incontri/scontri di culture nel mondo antico, Cisalpino 2013

9 CFU
oltre agli appunti del corso:
1)D.Foraboschi, S.Bussi, Integrazione e alterità. Incontri/scontri di culture nel mondo antico, Cisalpino 2013
2) J.Andreau, R. Descat, Gi schiavi nel mondo greco e romano, Il Mulino, Bologna 2014
3) A. Bowman, L'Egitto dopo i Faraoni, Giunti editore, 1997.

Studenti Non Frequentanti Magistrali


6 CFU:
1) D.Foraboschi, S.Bussi, Integrazione e alterità. Incontri/scontri di culture nel mondo antico, Cisalpino 2013
2) A.Gara, Tecnica e tecnologia nel mondo antico, CUEM
3) F. Carlà, A. Marcone, Economia e finanza a Roma, Bologna, Il Mulino 2011

9 CFU:
1)A.Bowman, A. Wilson (eds), The Roman Agricultural Economy, Oxford 2013 (tranne il capitolo 3)
Oppure:
A. Marcone (a cura di), Storia del lavoro in Italia: l'età romana, Castelvecchi editore, 2016.
2) J. Mélèze Modrzejewski, The Jews of Egypt, Princeton 1995
OPPURE
L. Capponi, Il tempio di Leontopoli in Egitto, Pisa 2007
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam will be oral, an interview, and marks will be out of 30. Students will have to demonstrate to have a clear knowledge of topics treated during the lectures (if attending) and of the bibliography indicated in the programme. Students are expected to organize discourse rationally, with awareness of sources and modern historiography, and to show a critical attitude about topics and sources. Students' presentation must be linguistically accurate with use of the discipline-specific language.
Unita' didattica A
L-ANT/03 - ROMAN HISTORY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-ANT/03 - ROMAN HISTORY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-ANT/03 - ROMAN HISTORY - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)