29750 - Roman Administrative History (1) (LM)

Academic Year 2019/2020

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in History and Oriental Studies (cod. 8845)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course unit the student will know the main evolution lines of the administrative history of the roman world, with a specific focus on mixed cultural contexts. The student will be able to reconstruct the original concepts of the roman administrative organization and their permanence during the centuries. The student will be able to identify the specific contribution of the historical sciences in the development of Roman Public Law. The student will be able to use the specific juridical terminology necessary for a precise communication of the study area.

Course contents

The course will include a main part dedicated to some key concepts for the study of the history of the Roman administration; in the final part of the course we will examine some case studies, with particular attention to heterogeneous cultural contexts, in which the Roman administrative models interacted with local traditions.

Lectures will then cover the following issues:

  1. Problems and methods of the Roman administrative history (about 4 hours).
    1. Presentation of the course (about 1 hour).
    2. The history of the discipline (about 2 hours).
    3. Interdisciplinary connections (about 1 hour).
  2. The limits of administrative competence: the concept of provincia (about 6 hours).
    1. The original meaning of the term provincia as "sphere of competence" (about 3 hours).
    2. The gradual transition to the sense of provincia as "territory" (about 3 hours).
  3. The competences of the local administration (about 4 hours).
    1. The general scheme of local administration in Roman Italy (about 2 hours)
    2. The limits of the local administration's skills (about 2 hours).
  4. The interventions of the central government in the local administration of Roman Italy (about 4 hours).
    1. The Augustan and the Julio-Claudian age (about 2 hours).
    2. The increasing weight of imperial interventions in the second century A.D. (About 2 hours).
  5. Dilettantism and professionalism in the Roman administration (about 6 hours).
    1. The weight of the recommendations in the senatorial and equestrian career (about 2 hours).
    2. The distinction between personal competence and specialization (about 2 hours).
    3. The hypothesis of regional specializations in administrative careers (about 2 hours).
  6. Case studies (6 hours).
    1. Municipal curatores operum publicorum in the cities of the Roman Empire (about 3 hours).
    2. The administration of the province of Arabia in the years of annexation, through the documentation of the Babatha archive (about 3 hours).

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 (about 8 hours), which will cover the following topics:

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

During the seminar we will see in particular what are the tools (both the tools in the traditional paper format, and the new digital tools) for a research in the Roman administrative history.

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students

1. Individual study, on the development of roman administration:

1.1 The study of the following book:

  • D. Faoro et alii, L’amministrazione dell’Italia romana. Dal I sec. a.C. al III sec. d.C. - Fondamenti, Firenze, Le Monnier università – Mondadori education, 2018 [Library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor, under the signature CONS ESAMI].

1.2 For a closer look, one more further essay at student choice among:

  • J. Richardson, The Administration of the empire, «The Cambridge Ancient History, IX: The Last Age of the Roman Republic, 146–43 BC», edited by J. A. Crook – A. Lintott – E. Rawson, Cambridge; Cambridge University Press, 19942, pp. 564-598 [Library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor, under the signature CONS ENC].
  • The Government and Administration of the Empire, «The Cambridge Ancient History, X: The Augustan Empire, 43 BC–AD 69», edited by A. K. Bowman – E. Champlin – A. Lintott, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 20052, pp. 309-370 (articles by D.W. Rathbone, The Imperial Finances, R.J.A. Talbert, The Senate and Senatorial and Equestrian Posts, and di A.K. Bowman, Provincial Administration and Taxation) [Library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor, under the signature CONS ENC].
  • W. Eck, Government and Civil Administration, «The Cambridge Ancient History, XI, The High Empire. A.D. 70-192», a cura di A.K. Bowman – P. Garnsey – D. Rathbone, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 20052, pp. 195-292 [Biblioteca del Dipartimento di Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor, under the signature CONS ENC.]
  • E. Lo Cascio, The Emperor and his Administration, «The Cambridge Ancient History, XII: The Crisis of Empire, AD 193-337», edited by A.K. Bowman – P. Garnsey – A. Cameron, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 20052, pp. 131-183 [Library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor, under the signature CONS ENC].

2. For the topics discussed in class, students will count, as well as on personal notes, on the slides projected during the lessons, which will be published on the website of the course.

3. For the seminar the students will be given specific task of bibliographic search and retrieval.

For non attending students

1. For the individual study on the development of roman administration, non-attending students will follow the same program as indicated in point 1 of the program for attending students.

2. For the special part, non-attending students will replace the topics covered in lectures and seminars and the writing of the essay with the study of S. Segenni – C. Letta, Roma e le sue province, Roma, Carocci, 2015 [Library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Sezione di Storia Antica, via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor, under the signature PROV. I. 28].

For an alternative program (particularly on item 1.2 of the program) contact me, by email too at alessandro.cristofori@unibo.it.

Teaching methods

Lectures on the general concepts of roman administration and on case studies related to roman administrative history, in which students will be actively engaged, particularly in reading and commenting ancient evidence.

Seminar lessons and group work for preparing the written essay.

Assessment methods

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

  • a knowledge of the general development of roman administration;
  • a knowledge of case studies related to roman administrative history;
  • 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 administration (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 personal vocabulary (including juridical terminolgy) 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:

  • a question on the general development of roman administration (based on the articles indicated in point 1.1 of the program and on lectures on concepts, categories and topics of roman administratuve history);
  • a question on one of the essays of point 1.2 of the program;
  • a question on one of the topics analyzed in the lectures.
  • a discussion of the paper.

For non attending students the examination will be in oral form too, and tipically involves:

  • a question on the general development of roman administration (based on the articles indicated in point 1.1 of the program
  • a question on one of the essays of point 1.2 of the program;
  • two questions on S. Segenni – C. Letta, Roma e le sue province, Roma, Carocci, 2015.

Teaching tools

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

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Cristofori