01009 - Roman History (N-Z)

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

This is a six-month course (second semester). Frequency is warmly suggested. For those who cannot attend the lessons, it is possible to follow a program with supplementary texts (cfr. sect. "Texts"). The aim of the course is to supply the students with an in-depth analysis of some relevant subjects that are not sufficiently treated in the manuals. Two main groups of subjects will be dealt with: 1) In depth-analysis of the manual, with particular attention to historical, literary and epigraphic sources; 2) Guide to the knowledge and employment of the bibliographical resources.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec, Storia romana, Bologna: Il Mulino 2002.

2. Luca Fezzi, Modelli politici di Roma antica, Roma: Carocci editore 2015.

3. Tommaso Gnoli, Le guerre dell'imperatore Giuliano, Bologna: Il Mulino 2015.

The students who do not attend the lessons shall substitute volume 1 with:

a) W. Blösel, Roma: l’età repubblicana. Forum ed espansione del dominio, Torino: Einaudi 2016.

b) A. Eich, L’età dei Cesari. Le legioni e l’impero, Torino: Einaudi 2015.

c) R. Pfeilschifter, Il tardo antico. Il dio unico e i molti sovrani, Torino: Einaudi 2015.

The students who do not attend the lessons shall pay particular attentions to the sources related to Roman history, and find all needed information in the corresponding sections of the suggested volumes. Most of the course is dedicated to the historical, literary and epigraphic sources.

The student who regularly attend the lessons can decide weather they prefer to work on volume 1 (which is shorter, but has to be completed with the materials of the course), or substitute it with the volumes a-c.

Teaching methods

The course is organized in frontal lessons held by the teacher. The traditional fifteen minutes’ grace before a university lecture starts are not provided for. Lessons star at 1pm. During the course an in-depth analysis will be provided of those sections that in the manual have not been sufficiently developed for the sake of space. Special attention will be paid to the presentation of the most important historiographic, literary and epigraphic sources. Neither written examinations nor intermediate tests are provided for. Halfway through the course two lessons will be dedicated to questions and supplementary explanations asked by the students. The tests evaluating the learning achieved by the students will be performed solely and exclusively in the way described above.

For any scientific or practical issues the teacher is always reachable in reception hours or by institutional e-mail.

Caution: Students shall always write to the teacher by institutional e-mail (studente.unibo.it), this way they will not run the risk of their mails being blocked by the anti-spam filters.

Assessment methods

Oral examination. The interview will evaluate critical and methodological skills developped by the student, who is invited to get confronted with the texts covered during the course. The student's capability to face the sources and the bibliographical materials in order to identify useful information allowing to describe all cultural areas of the discipline will be assessed. The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the issues addressed during the course, the development of a critical attitude towards their use and his/her mastery of a specific scientific language will be assessed with a mark of excellence. A mechanical and / or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, a low capability of synthesis and analysis and / or correct but not always appropriate language will lead to a decent evaluation; training gaps and / or inappropriate language - although in a context of a minimal knowledge and examination of the material - will lead to votes that will not exceed the sufficiency. Training gaps, inappropriate language, confusion while facing the reference materials offered during the course will be evaluated as unsatisfactory.

Teaching tools

The course will be organised in frontal lessons held by the teacher himself. He will sometimes make use of an overhead-projector, computer presentations and photocopies of the texts. All these materials can be found at the end of the course also on-line on the web-page of the course.

Office hours

See the website of Tommaso Gnoli