Aims

The aim of this module is to provide students with a broad overview of Roman history from the foundation of the city to the reign of Trajan, which marked the stage of greatest expansion of the empire. The focus is on providing a general overview of chronology and of important themes and problems across the centuries.
The module will focus on key issues, including Rome’s imperial expansion, the rise and fall of the Republic, the emergence of the Principate, and the quality and scale of cultural transformation in the Mediterranean world.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module explores the following key themes and periods:
•       the origins of Rome and the problems of using later traditions.
•       the development of the early Republic and the struggle of the orders.
•       Rome’s expansion in Italy and the Mediterranean: conquest and settlement.
•       the fall of the Roman Republic and the Augustan settlement.
•       the Hellenisation of Rome and the Romanisation of the Mediterranean.
•       the Principate from the Julio-Claudians to Trajan.
•       the neighbours of the Roman empire, esp. the Germans and the Parthians

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures and associated readings will introduce students to key historical topics and how to approach them. Lectures are not merely intended to provide them with answers. Instead, they will provide students with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to both formulate and answer their own questions. Listening, reading and note-taking skills will play a key role in this process. The seminar discussions are an opportunity to develop their understanding dynamically, e.g. by engaging in discussion of how they should go about addressing historical questions, the relative merits of different types of evidence or approach to the sources or by gaining clarification of any points that may prove elusive. In doing so they will develop analytical skills, oral communication skills and ability to work as part of a team. Two Q&A sessions will provide guidance on the assessment components for this module, and will also be the opportunity to cover important study skills points.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The two written assignments, which have the same format but are weighted differently (40% and 60%), test the students' ability to analyse an ancient source (part 1: commentary) and to engage in depth with key primary evidence and modern scholarship and construct a reasoned argument on the basis of these (part 2: essay).

The formative assessment is intended to support students in becoming acquainted with a wide range of topics and problems, and with a rich and diverse set of primary evidence and secondary material, as well as providing them with prompt and tangible feedback on the progress they are making.