B5093 - Archaic and Republican Roman History (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have a critical knowledge of Roman history in the Republican age. They will read documents and texts of this historical period in the original languages. They will analyse them from a historical perspective. They will be able to apply the research methods of historical studies of the Roman world and the provinces of the Republican age. They will be able to carry out historical research autonomously.

Course contents

The course unit of Archaic and republican Roman history is an integrated course with the coure unit: History of the Roman Empire and together they form the course of Roman history (C.I) (LM) of 12 credits for students of the Master programme in History and Oriental Sciences; it can also be chosen as a 6-credit independent course by students of LM Programmes in Archaeology and Cultures of the Ancient World, Philology, Literature and Classical Tradition and as free choice for other Master's Degree courses.

To promote a better connection with the integrated course unit of History of the Roman Empire both course unit will be dedicated - with different perspectives and chronologies - to the theme Rome and Egypt.

It includes a first introductory part (the first week), on methodological issues, scholarship and problems of ancient documentation; a second part will be devoted to the contacts between the Roman Republic and the Hellenistic kingdom of Egypt: In the classes the following topics will be addressed in particular:

1. First week (6 hours): The themes and methods of the course
   • Presentation of the course
   • The object of the course and its chronological, geographical and thematic limits
   • The problems of archaic and republican history
2. Second week (6 hours): the nature of the relations between Rome and the Kingdom of Egypt
   • The context and the sources
   • Defining amicitia
3. Third week (6 hours): Rome and Egypt in the geopolitical context of the Hellenistic states
   • Diplomacy, alliances and the debate on Roman imperialism
   • Egypt in the Roman hegemonic sphere?
4. Fourth week (6 hours): Rome and the dynastic disputes within the kingdom - Egypt and civil wars
   • Rome's intervention in dynastic conflicts – the wills
   • Egypt and the civil wars in Rome
5. Fifth week (6 hours): not just politics
   • Economic and commercial relations
   • Culture and religion
   • Alessandria Mediterranean megacity - altera Roma

 

For students attending the integrated course of Roman History (12 credits), the preparation - in a working group - of a research project is also required. This project (5 pages) should include relevant sources and an up-to-date modern bibliography on one of the topics covered in the lectures of either of the two modules, or on a theme of Roman history, to be agreed upon with the instructors. The project must be submitted at least one week before the exam date. The project preparation work will be structured in a dedicated seminar, which will last approximately 5 hours and will cover the following topics:

1. The general characteristics of a scientific project (about 1 hour).
2. Finding modern bibliography (about 2 hours).
3. Locating ancient documentation (about 2 hours).

During the seminar, we will specifically look at the tools (both traditional print format tools and new digital tools) for research in the field of Roman History, and we will set up the work for the groups.

 

 

Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: It is suggested to immediately contact both the responsible University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en] and the instructor, to jointly seek the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for the exam.

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students:

1. On the main structural problems of the history of the Roman Empire: A. Giardina – A. Schiavone, Storia di Roma, Torino, Einaudi, 1999 [the text is available in the library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38]. The book in an anthology of essays that were previously published in the collective work published in 4 vols (8 books) «Storia di Roma» ed. by A. Momigliano, A. Schiavone Einaudi, Torino 1988-1993. (see more details in the teaching materials in Virtuale)
   • Parte I La città arcaica, following chapters: Carmine Ampolo, La città riformata e l'organizzazione centuriata. Lo spazio, il tempo, il sacro nella nuova realtà urbana e Mario Torelli, Dalle aristocrazie gentilizie alla nascita della plebe.
   • Parte II La repubblica imperiale, following chapters: Francesco De Martino, Il modello della città-stato. (as an alternative students can read by the same author F. De Martino, La Costituzione della città stato, «Storia di Roma», I «Roma in Italia», Torino, Einaudi 1988, pp. 345-366 available among the teaching materials in Virtuale) Filippo Cassola, Lo scontro fra patrizi e plebei e la formazione della nobilitas. Emilio Gabba, L'imperialismo romano. Emilio Gabba, Il processo d'integrazione dell'Italia nel II secolo. Umberto Laffi, Il sistema di alleanze italico. Ettore Lepore, La crisi della nobilitas: fra reazione e riforma (this last contribution can be substitued with: Ettore Lepore, La decisione politica e l'«auctoritas» senatoria. Pompeo, Cicerone, Cesare, in A. Momigliano e A. Schiavone (a cura di), «Storia di Roma, 2. L'impero Mediterraneo La Repubblica imperiale», Torino, Einaudi, 1990, pp. 759-788. The essay is available among teaching materials in Virtuale).
     
     
2. On the special theme of the course: lecture notes, which will also be published in the form of slides, on the platform Virtuale (https://virtuale.unibo.it/).
3. For writing the project: special literature, in italian and other european languages, identified by the students themselves, thanks to the bibliographic tools which will be presented in the seminar.

For not attending students:

1. On the main structural problems of the history of the Roman Empire: A. Giardina – A. Schiavone, Storia di Roma, Torino, Einaudi, 1999 [the text is available in the library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor].
   • parte I La città arcaica, following chapters: Carmine Ampolo, La città riformata e l'organizzazione centuriata. Lo spazio, il tempo, il sacro nella nuova realtà urbana e Mario Torelli, Dalle aristocrazie gentilizie alla nascita della plebe.
   • Parte II La repubblica imperiale, following chapters: Francesco De Martino, Il modello della città-stato. Filippo Cassola, Lo scontro fra patrizi e plebei e la formazione della nobilitas. Emilio Gabba, L'imperialismo romano. Emilio Gabba, Il processo d'integrazione dell'Italia nel II secolo. Umberto Laffi, Il sistema di alleanze italico. Ettore Lepore, La crisi della nobilitas: fra reazione e riforma (this last contribution can be substitued with: Ettore Lepore, La decisione politica e l'«auctoritas» senatoria. Pompeo, Cicerone, Cesare, in A. Momigliano e A. Schiavone (a cura di), «Storia di Roma, 2. L'impero Mediterraneo La Repubblica imperiale», Torino, Einaudi, 1990, pp. 759-788. The essay is available among teaching materials in Virtuale).
     
     
2. On the special theme of the course: Study of some essays on the aspects covered in class,these will be indicated and made available in the online Teaching platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/).

Students can agree an alternative bibliography (particularly on item 2 of the program for non-attending students) by personal meeting or by e-mail. For students taking the 12 credits integrated course alternative bibliography should be agreed upon together with the lecturer of the unit: History of the Roman Empire. The exam has namely to be sit at the same time.

Previous knowledge - Basic bibliography

The topics that will be dealt with in class and the suggested readings for the exam assume a good knowledge of the main historical events and structres of the Roman History of the Archaic and Republican periods and of the main developments of History of the Eastern Mediterranean. To recover the general historical picture you can use a good handbook of Roman History, for example G. Geraci – A. Marcone, Storia romana, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2002 or later editions, also available at the Library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà - sezione di Storia antica, via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor.

I also recommend a review of the main events that have affected the Eastern Mediterranean between the 3rd and 1st cent. B.C.E. for example through the reading of C. Franco, I regni ellenistici tra Oriente e Occidente, «Storia d’Europa e del Mediterraneo, sez. III, L’ecumene Romana» (a cura di G. Traina), parte II, Contesti mediterranei, cap. III, pp. 331-375

This basic bibliography is useful for a better understanding of the topics that will be covered in class and by personal study, but will not be the subject of the final assessment.

Teaching methods

Lectures on the problems and on the nature of the evidence and on the special theme Rome and Egypt. Problem based classes: students will be offered a series of assignments related to the week topics in order to complete critical analyisis of a selection of sources on the basis of modern scholarship.

In agreement with prof. Alessandro Cristofori, responsible for the module of History of the Roman Empire, the course participates in the University's teaching experimentation project according to the Integrative Digital Teaching (DDI) model. The project is aimed at students who do not have the opportunity to attend lessons in person and who will compose a sort of virtual classroom.

The project involves recording the lectures through the Panopto application; the interaction with the students will be ensured by the opening of a Forum (one of the tools provided by the platform Virtuale) for each of the scheduled lessons, in which students who will follow the course in this mode will be able to ask the teachers questions on the subject dealt with; the questions and the relative answers will thus be visible to the whole virtual class.

Also through Virtuale, not only the slides with the guidelines of the lessons are made available, as was already foreseen in previous years for all course participants, but also additional in-depth materials intended explicitly for the virtual class.

A preliminary remote meeting is planned, through the Teams application, with all participants in the virtual class before the start of the lessons, to illustrate this experimental project to interested students; the date of the meeting will be announced on the News page of the two teachers' websites. From lesson to lesson, simple activities to verify learning on the subject matter will also be proposed, through Virtuale; completing these activities will allow students to continue attending the course.

At the end of the course there will be a meeting, at distance too, to verify the effectiveness of the chosen method (the meeting which will also be accompanied by a anonymous questionnaire, with the same purpose) which will certainly be of great use for adjustments in a possible re-edition of this experiment in the following academic years.

Students in the virtual classroom who have successfully completed the learning assessment activities, thus demonstrating that they have followed the course carefully, will be considered attending students and will be able to take the related program to the exam.

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

The course unit of Archaic and republican Roman history is an integrated course with the coure unit: History of the Roman Empire and together they form the course of Roman history (C.I) (LM) of 12 credits for students of the Master programme in History and Oriental Sciences; it can also be chosen as a 6-credit independent course by students of LM Programmes in Archaeology and Cultures of the Ancient World, Philology, Literature and Classical Tradition and as free choice for other Master's Degree courses.

In the assessment of the integrated course of Storia romana (12 credits), the overall grade will be the result of the joint assessment (average of the marks) of this module of Archaic and republican Roman history together with the module SHistory of the Roman Empire Students are therefore asked to sit the exam in the same date.

The assessment, through an oral examination will test:

• a knowledge the main structural problems of the history of Rome in the archaic and republican period;
• a knowledge of the special theme Rome and Egypt
• a critical approach to ancient evidence and to modern historiographical interpretations;
• a good ability to communicate orally, in particular skills in synthesis and in logical organization of the topics and the mastery of an appropriate vocabulary;
• for attending students of the 12 credits integrated course in Roman History, the ability to use the main tools for research in history of the roman empire (both in the traditional format, and the new digital tools) and a good ability to communicate in written form; also for the written research project, in addition to the correctness and completeness of the contents, the logical organization of the arguments and the use of a lexicon and a style appropriate to the discipline will be evaluated.The capacity to collaborate in a group will also be considered.

For each of the criteria outlined above, the following assessment scale can be proposed:

• Excellent (30 cum laude)
• Very Good (28-30)
• Good (25-27)
• Satisfactory (22-24)
• Sufficient (18-21)

Evaluation of the individual parameters will contribute to determine final grade. In the assessment of attending students, I will take into account constancy and active participation to the lectures.

In detail, oral examination tipically involves, for attending students:

• one question on the main structural problems of the history of the history of Rome in the archaic and republican period (based on A. Giardina – A. Schiavone, Storia di Roma, Torino, Einaudi, 1999 parts indicated above);
• one question on topics discussed in class, on the special theme
• for  students attending the 12 credits integrated course in Roman History a discussion of the research project.
• For students taking the 6 credits module a third question will be asked on one of the two areas mentioned above.
  

There will be three questions for not attending students:

• one question on the main structural problems of the history of Rome in the archaic and republican period (based on A. Giardina – A. Schiavone, Storia di Roma, Torino, Einaudi, 1999 parts indicated above);
• two question on the special theme of the course (based on readings suggested in the teaching materials).

In the assessment of the integrated course of Storia romana (12 credits), the overall grade will be the result of the joint assessment (average of the marks) of this module of Storia romana arcaica e repubblicana together with the module Storia dell’Impero romano

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) well in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which - in any case - need to be agreed 15 days in advance with the lecturer, who will assess the coherence with the course learning outcomes.

Exam sessions are scheduled for the following months of the academic year 2024/25: January, March, May, June, July, October November 2025 and January 2026. For the actual dates please alwas check my website page > Teaching > Exam Sessions [https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/carla.salvaterra/teachings?tab=appelli] or in the Almaesami app.

Teaching tools

In class we will use PowerPoint slide shows, which will be published on the website of the course on the platform Virtuale (https://virtuale.unibo.it/).

 

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students .

Office hours

See the website of Carla Salvaterra