58505 - Social History of the Ancient World (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will know the social history of the Greek and Roman world and be familiar with the present historiographic debate. They will be able to contextualize and comment upon specific literary sources from a personal knowledge of original Greek and Roman texts. They will know the structure of Greek and Roman society as well as the importance of gender and identity definition involved in the social and cultural debate of that time according to their structural components and historical evolution. They will tackle texts and data from a personal interpretative perspective, as well as being able to organize, summarize and classify complex information and issues in a lucid manner. They will have acquired self-criticism, an ability to learn from mixing with others, and to choose the learning tools best suited to their own skills and purposes.

Course contents

I. Introductory Lesson:
Methodology and sources for research in the field of social history of the ancient world (one lesson).

II. Specific topic: Family in the ancient world

 
the family in the Greek world (five lessons): 2.-3. the oikos as a constituent element of Greek society; 4. the role of women within the oikos, between reality and representation; 5. the practice of adoption as a guarantee of family perpetuation: the cases of Gortina, Athens and Rhodes; the presence and function of slaves within the Greek family; 6. property, marriage strategies and family dynamics: the case of Athens in the classical period;

the family in the Roman world (eight lessons): 7. familia and gens; constitution and composition of the Roman familia through the lens of Roman law; 8-9. family representation in literary and epigraphic sources; 10. the role of women in the family, between reality and representation; 11-12. the practice of adoption in the Roman world; familia rustica and familia urbana; the relationship between libertus and patronus; 13-14. marriage strategies in the elites between the Republic and the Empire and within the domus Augusta;

15. the late antique family, between continuity and breaking with tradition (one lesson).

Readings/Bibliography

Readings for attending students:

1) Lecture notes;

2) Reading of:

a) G. Bodei Giglioni, L’«oikos»: realtà familiare e realtà economica, in S. Settis (a cura di), I Greci. Storia cultura arte società, II.1. Una storia greca. Formazione, Einaudi, Torino 1996, pp. 735-754 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

b) S. Ferrucci, Ai margini della polis? Donne, stranieri, schiavi, in M. Giangiulio (a cura di), Storia d’Europa e del Mediterraneo, IV. Grecia e Mediterraneo dall’età delle guerre persiane all’ellenismo, Salerno Editrice, Roma 2008, 509-541 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

c) N. Bellotto, L’adozione nell’antica Grecia, in M.C. Rossi, M. Garbellotti, M. Pellegrini (a cura di), Figli d’elezione. Adozione e affidamento dall’età antica all’età moderna, Carocci, Roma 2015, pp. 53-67 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

d) R. Saller, I rapporti di parentela e l'organizzazione familiare, in E. Gabba, A. Schiavone (a cura di), Storia di Roma, IV. Caratteri e morfologie, Einaudi, Torino 1989, pp. 515-555 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

e) F. Lamberti, L’identità romana: pubblico, privato, famiglia, in G. Traina (a cura di), Storia d'Europa e del Mediterraneo, III. L'ecumene romana, Vol. 6: Da Augusto a Diocleziano, Salerno Editrice, Roma 2009, pp. 667-707 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

f) F. Cenerini, L’adozione in età romana, in M.C. Rossi, M. Garbellotti, M. Pellegrini (a cura di), Figli d’elezione. Adozione e affidamento dall’età antica all’età moderna, Carocci, Roma 2015, pp. 69-84 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

g) E. Cantarella, La vita delle donne, in E. Gabba, A. Schiavone (a cura di), Storia di Roma, IV. Caratteri e morfologie, Einaudi, Torino 1989, pp. 557-608 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

h) One article at choice from: V. Neri, B. Girotti (a cura di), La famiglia tardoantica. Società, diritto, religione, LED Edizioni Universitarie, Milano 2016 [all the articles can be downloaded from the website: https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/Erga-Logoi/pages/view/qel-5-famiglia-tardoantica ].

3) One article to be chosen from:

E. Lippolis, L’oikos come spazio architettonico e sociale, «Seminari Romani di cultura greca» n.s. II.2 (2013), pp. 203-238 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

E. Pischedda, La donna ideale. Senofonte e l’educazione delle giovani spose, in «I Quaderni del Ramo d’Oro» 11 (2019), pp. 83-101 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

S. Pomeroy, Women’s identity and the family in the classical polis, in R. Hawley, B. Levick (eds.), Women in antiquity. New assessments, Routledge, London-New York 1995, pp. 111-121[the article will be uploaded to Virtuale] ;

J. Andreau, R. Descat, Gli schiavi nel mondo greco e romano, Il Mulino, Bologna 2009, pp. 127-181 (Capitolo quinto) [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

M. Pérez Ruiz, La casa romana como espacio social y religioso: Proyección social de la familia a través del culto, in S. Gutiérrez Lloret, I. Grau Mira (eds.), Lecturas arqueológicas del uso social del espacio, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante 2013, pp. 155-167 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

F. Cenerini, La figura del pater a Roma fra diritto e società: qualche esempio epigrafico, in L. Capogrossi Colognesi, F. Cenerini, F. Lamberti, M. Lentano, G. Rizzelli, B. Santorelli, Anatomie della paternità. Padri e famiglia nella cultura romana, Edizioni Grifo, Lecce 2019, pp. 7-24 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

F. Rohr Vio, Le donne della domus principis e la legislazione a tutela della famiglia. Augusto e la rivitalizzazione della tradizione aristocratica, in Ph. Le Doze (ed.), Le costume de Prince. Vivre et se conduire en souverain dans la Rome antique d’Auguste à Constantin, Collection de l’Ecole Française de Rome 587, Roma 2021, pp. 465-485 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

F. Cenerini, Il matrimonio con un’Augusta: forma di legittimazione?, in A. Bielman Sánchez, I. Cogitore, A. Kolb (eds.), Femmes influentes dans le monde hellénistique et à Rome (III^e siècle av. J.-C.-I^er siècle apr. J.-C.), Université Grenoble Alps, Grenoble 2016, pp. 119-142 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale].

 

Non-attending students are invited to contact by email the Professor (manuela.mongardi2@unibo.it).

Readings for non-attending students:

I) The articles listed under point 2 of the bibliography for attending students

II)- J. Andreau, R. Descat, Gli schiavi nel mondo greco e romano, Il Mulino, Bologna 2009, pp. 127-181 (Chapter five) [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

- J. Andreau, Il liberto, in A. Giardina (a cura di), L’uomo romano, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1993, pp. 187-214 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

- E. Pischedda, La donna ideale. Senofonte e l’educazione delle giovani spose, in «I Quaderni del Ramo d’Oro» 11 (2019), pp. 83-101 [la risorsa verrà caricata su Virtuale].

- F. Rohr Vio, Le donne della domus principis e la legislazione a tutela della famiglia. Augusto e la rivitalizzazione della tradizione aristocratica, in Ph. Le Doze (ed.), Le costume de Prince. Vivre et se conduire en souverain dans la Rome antique d’Auguste à Constantin, Collection de l’École Française de Rome 587, Roma 2021, pp. 465-485 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale].

III) Three articles to be chosen from:

E. Lippolis, L’oikos come spazio architettonico e sociale, «Seminari Romani di cultura greca» n.s. II.2 (2013), pp. 203-238 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

S. Pomeroy, Women’s identity and the family in the classical polis, in R. Hawley, B. Levick (eds.), Women in antiquity. New assessments, Routledge, London-New York 1995, pp. 111-121[the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

L. Capogrossi Colognesi, La famiglia romana, la sua storia e la sua storiografia, in «MEFRA. Mélanges de l’École Française de Rome - Antiquité» 122.1 (2010), pp. 147-174 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

F. Cenerini, Il matrimonio con un’Augusta: forma di legittimazione?, in A. Bielman Sánchez, I. Cogitore, A. Kolb (eds.), Femmes influentes dans le monde hellénistique et à Rome (IIIe siècle av. J.-C.-Ier siècle apr. J.-C.), Université Grenoble Alps, Grenoble 2016, pp. 119-142 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

M. Pérez Ruiz, La casa romana como espacio social y religioso: Proyección social de la familia a través del culto, in S. Gutiérrez Lloret, I. Grau Mira (eds.), Lecturas arqueológicas del uso social del espacio, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante 2013, pp. 155-167 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

F. Cenerini, La figura del pater a Roma fra diritto e società: qualche esempio epigrafico, in L. Capogrossi Colognesi, F. Cenerini, F. Lamberti, M. Lentano, G. Rizzelli, B. Santorelli, Anatomie della paternità. Padri e famiglia nella cultura romana, Edizioni Grifo, Lecce 2019, pp. 7-24 [the article will be uploaded to Virtuale];

One article at choice from: V. Neri, B. Girotti (a cura di), La famiglia tardoantica. Società, diritto, religione, LED Edizioni Universitarie, Milano 2016 [all articles can be downloaded from the website: https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/Erga-Logoi/pages/view/qel-5-famiglia-tardoantica ].

 

 

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.

Course materials will be made available on the Virtuale Platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/).

Assessment methods

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

Assessment will be carried out through an oral exam. Students will have to answer questions 3 questions relating to the recommended readings, as well as to the topics analysed during the course.

The exam will assess the knowledge acquired and the critical and synthesis skills developed by the student, focusing on the recommended bibliography and the documents and topics presented during the lessons.

Questions are aimed to assess if students can demonstrate: mastery of contents; capacity for synthesis, analysis and connection of topics and concepts; expressive and specific language skills.

Grading criteria:

Top marks will be awarded to students demonstrating an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lessons, combined with a critical approach to the discipline and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.

Fair marks will be awarded to students demonstrating a mnemonic knowledge of the subject, combined with a correct, but not always appropriate, command of the field-specific language.

Minimal knowledge of the bibliographical materials and/or use of inappropriate language will lead to a pass mark (or just above).

Inadequate knowledge, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographic materials will lead to fail the exam.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations will be displayed during classes.

All  course material will be available on https://virtuale.unibo.it/.

Office hours

See the website of Manuela Mongardi