01009 - Roman History

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student is acquainted with the most relevant themes and events (concerning politics, institutions, mentality, religion, economics) of the Roman history and is able to locate them critically. Introduction to the methodology of historical research and to the analysis of literary and documentary sources. Particular attention is paid to historiography and epigraphy.

Course contents

This is a six-month course (first semester). Frequency is warmly suggested. For those who cannot attend the lessons, it is possible to follow a program with a supplementary text (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. 1. Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec, Storia romana, Bologna: Il Mulino 2002.
   2. 2. Luca Fezzi, Modelli politici di Roma antica, Roma: Carocci editore 2015.
   3. 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 students 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

Frontal lessons.

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