Rome: Culture and Empire (212-0-1)

Instructors

Taco Tjitte Terpstra
Kresge 4353

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall G21: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

The course is a general history survey, starting with Rome's humble beginnings and ending with the collapse of the Roman Empire. It will trace the story of how a small city state in central Italy, on the periphery of the older civilizations of the Near East and Greece, established military and political dominance over Italy; how it built a Mediterranean empire and administered it for centuries; how a long period of crisis led to its decline and partition into an eastern and western half; and finally how the western half collapsed. In addition to this chronological narrative, the course will treat several key themes and concepts in Roman culture. The Roman military will receive attention, as will gender relations and public spectacles. Roman religion and the role of slavery will also be discussed.

Class Materials (Required)

Potter, David. Ancient Rome: A New History (third edition). New York: Thames & Hudson, 2018. ISBN-13: 978-0-50029-412-3

Francese, Christopher, and R. Scott Smith. Ancient Rome: An Anthology of Sources. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2014. ISBN-13: 978-1-62466-000-9

Class Notes

Please use the following link for Classics waitlist information: https://classics.northwestern.edu/courses/2023-2024/classics-waitlist.html

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Distro Area
Interdisciplinary Distro-rules apply
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Ethics & Values Distro Area

Associated Classes

DIS - University Library 3322: Fri 9:00AM - 9:50AM

DIS - University Library 3622: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM

DIS - University Library 3370: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM

DIS - University Library 3322: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM

DIS - University Library 3322: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM

DIS - University Library 3370: Fri 2:00PM - 2:50PM