13352 - Roman Antiquities and Institutions

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student is acquainted with the most important public and private institutions of the Roman world and is able to analyse them through the critics of literary, documentary, and iconographical sources. He is able to understand the evolution and dynamic of those institutions, in the frame of the social, political, and historical context. He is able to properly communicate on the main topics related to this discipline.

Course contents

The comitia of republican Rome.

The Roman republic was structured around popular assemblies. The structure and functioning of the centuriate and of the tribute comitia as well as the concilia plebis are studied.

An excellent knowledge of the whole course of Roman history and an advanced knowledge of Latin and Greek languages are assumed.

Readings/Bibliography

Claude Nicolet, Le métier de citoyen dans la Rome républicaine, Paris: Éditions Gallimard 1976.

The book is translated in the principal European languages.

- Ancient texts read and commented on in class.

- All the material read and commented on will be made available on the course page.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons

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, aimed at testing if students can demonstrate:

• Knowledge of the development of Roman institutions, from the origins to the Late Antiquity;
• 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 institutions, also in the light of the materials developed in class and/or self-prepared readings;
• 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.

Suff icient:

• 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;
• correct but partially inappropriate language.

Fail:

• 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.

Teaching tools

The course will be organized 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