Rome after Nero

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

The Colosseum, ultimate symbol of Rome and its empire, emerged from a context of chaos brought about by the Great Fire, the death of Nero, and the civil war that followed. Alongside numerous other outstanding works of art, literature, and architecture from Rome, Pompeii, and the empire at large, the Colosseum simultaneously represents a resurgence of Roman ancestral values and optimism for the future. In this literature and archaeology course, we will examine the complex political and cultural landscape of this period of rebuilding. Through analysis of poems, historical accounts, paintings, sculpture, villas, civic architecture, and more, we will develop an understanding of how values that defined Rome and Romans were reconfigured in lasting ways during the Flavian dynasty (69-96 CE).