History of Rome

Catalog description

Roman culture and society from the founding of the city (c. 753 BCE) through Marcus Aurelius (180 CE). This course will call upon both literary and visual texts to trace the development of Roman social and cultural institutions from the city’s beginnings as a small settlement on the Tiber to its dominance of the Mediterranean world. Special attention will be paid to the political, social, and economic circumstances that contributed to the growth of Rome, to the transformation from Republic to Principate, and to the difficulties faced by the Empire.