29446 - History of the Roman Empire (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

After completing this module , students will have highly specialized skills and appropriate research methodologies in history of Rome and the provinces of the roman empire in the imperial age. The student will be able to analyze historiographical and documentary sources, in the original language, and to discuss the evidence on the basis of modern bibliography, written in european languages other than italian. He has a sound knowledge of themes, events, phenomena concerning the history of the roman world in the imperial age. He competently uses tools and databases for distance research and distance learning.

Course contents

In the course there will be a short introduction on the methodological problems of World History, Global History and comparative history, and a major part on the special theme: Rome and China, empires in contact, empires in comparison.

Lectures will then cover the following issues:

1. The problems of World History, Global History, and Comparative history.
2. The evidence: classical and chinese sources.
3. Empires in contact: geographical knowledge, diplomatic contacts, and economic relations between the roman empire and the chinese empire from the chinese point of view.
4. Empires in contact: geographical knowledge, diplomatic contacts, and economic relations between the roman empire and the chinese empire from the point of view of Rome.
5. Empires in comparison: administration, institutions, and economy.

The program will be completed with the study, by the students, of the main structural problems of the history of the roman empire.

For attending students the course also includes the writing of a short paper (5-10 pages) on one of the topics covered in class or related to the history of roman empire, to be agreed with the teacher. The paper must be submitted at least one week before the examination. The preparation of the paper will be the subject of a special seminar, which will cover the following topics:

1. The main features of a paper in the history of the roman empire.
2. Finding modern bibliography.
3. Finding ancient evidence.
4. The analysis of the modern bibliography.
5. Writing the paper.

The seminar will deal with the tools (both in the traditional format, and the new digital tools) for research in the history of the roman empire.

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, part III, pp. 339-540: I principi e il mondo [the text is available in the library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38, 4th floor, under the signature CONS V Giar].
2. On the special theme of the course: lecture notes, which will also be published in the form of slides.
3. For writing the paper: special literature, in foreign languages too, 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, part III, pp. 339-540: I principi e il mondo [the text is available in the library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38, 4th floor, under the signature CONS V Giar].
2. On the special theme fo the course: W. Scheidel (ed.), Rome and China. Comparative Perspectives on Ancient World Empires, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009, or W. Scheidel (ed.), State Power in Ancient China and Rome, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2015 [for these texts contact me, by email too at alessandro.cristofori@unibo.it].

For an alternative program (particularly on item 2 of the program for non-attending students) contact me, by email too at alessandro.cristofori@unibo.it.

Teaching methods

Lectures on the problems of World History, Global History and comparative history and on the special theme Rome and China, empires in contact, empires in comparison. In the lectures I will try to actively involve students, especially in reading and interpreting the ancient sources that we will examine in class.

Special seminar on the preparation of the paper.

Assessment methods

The assessment, through an oral examination (and, for attending students, in form of a written essay), will test:

• a knowledge the main structural problems of the history of the roman empire;
• a knowledge of the special theme Rome and China, empires in contact, empires in comparison;
• 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, 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 essay, 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.

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 vote. 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 roman empire (based on A. Giardina – A. Schiavone, Storia di Roma, Torino, Einaudi, 1999);
•  two questions on topics discussed in class, on the special theme Rome and China, empires in contact, empires in comparison;
• a discussion of the paper.

There will be three questions for not attending students:

• one question on the main structural problems of the history of the roman empire (based on A. Giardina – A. Schiavone, Storia di Roma, Torino, Einaudi, 1999);
• two question on the special theme of the course (based on W. Scheidel (ed.), Rome and China. Comparative Perspectives on Ancient World Empires, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009 or on W. Scheidel (ed.), State Power in Ancient China and Rome, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2015).

Teaching tools

In lessons we will use PowerPoint slide shows, which will be published on the website of the course.

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Cristofori