01009 - Roman History (M-R)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students know the issues and the most important events in Roman history (about politics, institutions, mindset, religion, economics) and can frame them critically as well. Students know the basic methodology of historical research and analysis of literary and documentary sources, with particular focus on historiography and epigraphy. They can address the main historical questions with awareness of their transformation over time and of the main scientific approaches.

Course contents

1. Class lectures:

a. Introductory part: the main methodological problems in the reconstruction of Roman history: documentary sources and historiography;

• First week: Introduction to the course, chronological, geographical, and thematic boundaries;
• Second week: Brief history of studies, how the approach to the discipline has changed over time, and what are the main trends in Roman history today;
• Third week: Sources for Roman history, issues of heuristics and exegesis, examples of literary sources and different genres.
• Fourth week: Literary sources and epigraphic sources.
• Fifth week: Papyrological sources, numismatic and archaeological sources.

b. Analysis of some case studies from Roman history and cross-cutting issues related to politics, institutions, mentality, religion, economy, analyzing ancient documentation in a way that facilitates a critical study of themes and events in Roman history.

• Sixth and seventh weeks: Polybius and Cicero and the debate on forms of government
• Eighth week: Family ties and politics: the valorization of family bonds and the exemplum of ancestors
• Ninth week: Public roles of women in Rome
• Tenth week: The city in the Roman world and civic statutes.

2. Students will be asked to study on the textbook the lines of development of Roman history, from the origins, also paying particular attention to the ancient documentation.

3. Further insights on themes and problems of the Republic, the Empire and Late Antiquity through autonomous reading.

 

Students with Specific Learning Difficulties or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended to contact the responsible university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) well in advance. The office will propose appropriate accommodations to interested students. Any accommodations must be submitted for approval to the lecturer at least 15 days before the exam date, who will evaluate their appropriateness in relation to the course learning outcomes.

Readings/Bibliography

1.Teaching materials presented during the classes and progressively available in the online page of the course unit (Virtuale platform).

Non attending students will substitute teaching materials according to indications at point 2 and 3 here below:

2. Autonomous study on one of the following textbooks:

• Giovanni Geraci – Arnaldo Marcone, Storia romana, Firenze, Le Monnier 2002 or other following editions.

• Giovannella Cresci Marrone, Francesca Rohr Vio, Lorenzo Calvelli,Roma antica. Storia e documenti, Il Mulino last edition.

• Federico Russo (a cura di), Storia di Roma antica, Milano, Pearson 2025.

• Giovanni Alberto Cecconi, La città e l'impero, Una storia del mondo romano dalle origini a Teodosio il Grande, Roma, Carocci 2009 or other following editions.

• Mario Pani, Elisabetta Todisco, Storia romana dalle origini alla tarda antichità, Nuova edizione, Roma, Carocci 2014 e or other following editions/reprints

• Giusto Traina, Federico Santangelo, Il Mondo dei Romani, Torino, Einaudi 2024.

 

NB! Students choosing textbooks which do not cover the period of the 5th-6th century will prepare this period by reading: chapters 4-6 of the following book: Rene Pfeilschifter, Il Tardoantico. Il Dio unico e i molti sovrani, Torino, Einaudi 2015.

The additional online sections of the Mulino and Pearson textbooks are optional.

Non attending students will prepare the following textbook

• Giovanni Geraci – Arnaldo Marcone, Storia romana. Editio maior, Firenze 2017.

3. Autonomous study of one among the following two options:

• Federico Santangelo, Roma Repubblicana. Una storia in quaranta vite, Roma, Carocci 2019 (only 20 biographies).
  
• Simonetta Segenni – Cesare Letta, Roma e le sue province, Roma, Carocci 2015 (first part and three case studies of the second part).
• Francesca Cavaggioni, Non era un paese per donne, Bologna, Pàtron 2025 (open access: https://patroneditore.eu/volumi/9788855536684/non-era-un-paese-per-donne) three case studies together with: Tomaso Maria Lucchelli, Aglaia McClintock, Francesca Rohr Vio, Tarpeia, Bologna, Pàtron 2025.

Non-attending students will prepare a second additional reading to be chosen from the following list:

• Andrea Angius, Patrizia Arena, Arnaldo Marcone, Fonti per la storia romana. Società, cultura, economia, Roma, Carocci 2023.
• Filippo Carlà - Arnaldo Marcone, Economia e finanza a Roma, Bologna, Il Mulino 2011.
• Francesca Cenerini, Messalina, Bari-Roma, Laterza 2024.
• Francesca Cavaggioni, Non era un paese per donne, Bologna, Patron 2025 (open access: https://patroneditore.eu/volumi/9788855536684/non-era-un-paese-per-donne) insieme a: Tomaso Maria Lucchelli, Aglaia McClintock, Francesca Rohr Vio, Tarpeia, Bologna, Patron 2025.
• Arnaldo Marcone, Tarda Antichità. Profilo storico e prospettive storiografiche, Roma, Carocci 2020.
• René Pfeilschifter,Il Tardoantico. Il Dio unico e i molti sovrani, Torino, Einaudi 2015.
• Simonetta Segenni, Cesare Letta, L’amministrazione romana. Stato e città in età repubblicana e imperiale, Roma, Carocci 2023.
• Federico Santangelo, La religione dei Romani, Bari-Roma,
• G. Traina (a cura di), Le fonti della storia antica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2024.

NB: Depending on the specific interests or needs of the students, it is possible to agree on different essays

Erasmus or International students who have difficulties with scientific essays, manuals or materials in Italian, can agree with the teacher a special reading list in other languages.

Everyone is recommended to use an historical atlas among the many available in the library of the Department of History Culture Civilization - Section of Ancient History, via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor, under CONS ATL or among the online Historical Atlas listed in 'Virtuale'.

Teaching methods

Lectures focusing on the analysis of textual documentary and literary sources with specific attention on epigraphic sources. Students interaction is welcome.

 

Students with Specific Learning Difficulties or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended to contact the responsible university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) well in advance. The office will propose appropriate accommodations to interested students. Any accommodations must be submitted for approval to the lecturer at least 15 days before the exam date, who will evaluate their appropriateness in relation to the course learning outcomes.

Assessment methods

Assessment will be carried out, through an oral exam, aimed at testing if students can demonstrate:

• Knowledge of the development of Roman history, from the origins to the Late Antiquity and the institutional aspects of the Roman world;
• Knowledge of the methodology of analysis of ancient sources and documentation also based on the interpretations of modern bibliography;
• The ability to use such knowledge to critically identify events, problems and themes of Roman history, also in the light of the materials developed in class and/or self-prepared readingsthe ability to use such knowledge to critically identify events, problems and themes of Roman history, also in the light of the lessons developed in lessons or self-prepared material;
• Capacity of oral expression.

Grading criteria:

Excellent / very good:

• comprehensive and analytical exposition of historical events and institutional issues in all three responses;
• specific and critical recall to the sources behind the reconstruction and the main issues of the scientific debate;
• synthetic organic vision of transversal themes;
• expressive and specific language skills.

Good / satisfactory:

• concise description and synthetic commentary on the events and themes proposed in all three responses;
• constant reference to sources and to scientific debate, even if in essence;
• awareness of the cross-cutting development lines;
• correct language, even if not always appropriate.

Sufficient:

• basic illustration of the exam material with some circumscribed gap or error in only one of the questions;
• critical analysis of sources only at the examiner's solicitude;
• uncertainty in the reference framework or in evaluating historical development lines or insecurity in correctly explaining transversal themes;
• partially inappropriate language.

Fail:

• Incomplete preparation of learning material and major errors or no answer in one or more questions;
• Lack of spatial orientation and failure in identifying ancient places;
  
• Lacks in knowledge of events and lines of historical development in more than one question;
• Lack of critical analysis of sources, gaps in the analysis of sources and poor awareness of analytical methods;
• poor orientation within the overall reference framework and limited ability to describe and explain cross-themes and issues;
• Inappropriate or incorrect language.

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

 

Students with Specific Learning Difficulties or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended to contact the responsible university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) well in advance. The office will propose appropriate accommodations to interested students. Any accommodations must be submitted for approval to the lecturer at least 15 days before the exam date, who will evaluate their appropriateness in relation to the course learning outcomes.

Teaching tools

• PowerPoint slide shows (which will be available in the teaching materials;
• texts and images that will be analyzed and commented in class will also be available in the teaching materials;
• the Textbook G. Cresci Marrone, F. Rohr Vio, L. Calvelli, Roma antica. Storia e documenti, Il Mulino, Bologna 2014 is available both on paper and in digital format at the web address: https://www.pandoracampus.it/pandora/booksheet/index/ean13/97888152517;
• both for the printed copy and for the digital one the manual is enhanced by materials, exercises, slides and useful active content for the study and teaching. It is highly recommended to use this part for the preparation of the exam.

Office hours

See the website of Carla Salvaterra