21H.132
The Ancient World: Rome
History of Rome from its humble beginnings to the 5th century A.D. First half: Kingship to Republican form; the conquest of Italy; Roman expansion: Pyrrhus, Punic Wars and provinces; classes, courts, and the Roman revolution; Augustus and the formation of empire. Second half: Virgil to the Vandals; major social, economic, political and religious trends at Rome and in the provinces. Emphasis on use of primary sources in translation. Enrollment limited.
Spring 2017
Topics
- Introduction
- Myth, Legend, History
- Foundation Myths
- Monarchy to Republic
- Livy’s Early Rome
- Social Conflict in the Early Republic
- The Conquest of Italy
- Cause(s) of the Punic Wars
- The Second Punic War: Hannibal in Italy
- The Second Punic War: Scipio Africanus
- The Roman Constitution I
- Consequences of Empire I: The Élites
- Consequences of Empire II: Arming and Farming
- Plutarch on the Gracchi
- Civil War: Marius and Sulla
- Pompey and the Special Command
- Plutarch’s Sulla
- From ‘Triumvirate’ to the Rubicon
- Caesar Dictator
- DEBATE: The Assassination of Caesar
- The Roman Constitution II: Augustus and the Principate
- Soft Power: Hearts & Minds of Augustan Rome
- Augustus
- The Emperor and the Élites
- The Emperor and the Plebs
- Tacitus’ Rome
- High Politics: The Julio-Claudians to the Flavians
- Suetonius’ Imperial Portraits
- Flavian Rome
- Restoring Historical Artifacts
- Roman Religion & the Imperial Cult
- High Politics: From the Flavians to the Severans
- The Roman Army
- Roman Slavery
- Domestic Life in Imperial Rome
- Crisis and Recovery: Diocletian & the Tetrarchy
- Christians and Christianity: From Nero to Diocletian
- Ending Roman History: From Constantine to Byzantium
Readings
- Boatwright, Mary, Daniel Gargola, Noel Lenski, et al. The Romans, From Village to Empire: A History of Rome from Earliest Times to the End of the Western Empire . 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780199730575.
- Ancient sources in translation
- Livy. The Rise of Rome: Books 1–5. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by T.J. Luce. Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780199540044.
- [B] = Boatwright, Mary, Daniel Gargola, Noel Lenski, et al. The Romans, From Village to Empire: A History of Rome from Earliest Times to the End of the Western Empire . 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780199730575.
- [L] = Livy. The Rise of Rome: Books 1–5. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by T.J. Luce. Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780199540044.
- [PO] = Polybius. The Rise of the Roman Empire . Translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert. Penguin Classics, 1980. ISBN: 9780140443622.
- S/R#: S1 · TOPICS: Introduction · READINGS: No readings assigned
- [B] Chapter 1: Archaic Italy and the Origins of Rome, pp. 1–27.
- [B] Chapter 1: Archaic Italy and the Origins of Rome, pp. 27–42.
- S/R#: S3 · TOPICS: Monarchy to Republic · READINGS: [L] 5.1–28, pp. 282-314.
- S/R#: S4 · TOPICS: Social Conflict in the Early Republic · READINGS: [B] Chapter 2: Republican Rome and the Conquest of Italy, pp. 43–53.
- S/R#: S5 · TOPICS: The Conquest of Italy · READINGS: [B] Chapter 2: Republican Rome and the Conquest of Italy, pp. 69–86.
- [PO] Book 1: Chapters 1–15, and 62–64.
- [PO] Book 3: Chapters 6–15, and 20–33.
- [B] Chapter 3: The Beginnings of a Mediterranean Empire, pp. 87–109.
- Livy. Book 22 excerpts. In The War with Hannibal: The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX. Translated by Aubrey De Selincourt. Penguin Classics, 1965, pp. 122–29, 136–40, and 144–52. ISBN: 9780140441451.
- Plutarch. “Life of Fabius Maximus [c. 275–203 BC].” In The Rise of Rome: Twelve Lives by Plutarch . Translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert, Jeffrey Tatum, and Christopher Pelling. Penguin Classics, 2013. ISBN: 9780140449754.
- Livy. “Book 28: 40–45.” In Hannibal’s War: Books Twenty-One to Thirty . Translated by J.C. Yardley. Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780199555970.
- [PO] Book 10: Chapters 2–3, 6–16, and 34–40.
- [PO] Book 15: Chapters 1–19.
- [B] Chapter 2: Republican Rome and the Conquest of Italy, pp. 53–69.
- [PO] Book 6: Chapters 1–18, and 43–58.
- [B] Chapter 3: The Beginnings of a Mediterranean Empire, pp. 109–23.
- [B] Chapter 4: Italy and Empire, pp. 125–41.
- S/R#: S9 · TOPICS: Consequences of Empire II: Arming and Farming · READINGS: [B] Chapter 4: Italy and Empire, pp. 141–53.
- S/R#: S10 · TOPICS: Civil War: Marius and Sulla · READINGS: [B] Chapter 5: Italy Threatened, Enfranchised, Divided.
- S/R#: S11 · TOPICS: Pompey and the Special Command · READINGS: [B] Chapter 6: The Domination of Sulla and Its Legacy.
- S/R#: S12 · TOPICS: From ‘Triumvirate’ to the Rubicon · READINGS: [B] Chapter 7: End of the Republic: Caesar’s Dictatorship, pp. 217–38.
- [B] Chapter 7: End of the Republic: Caesar’s Dictatorship, pp. 241–56.
- [P] “Julius Caesar,” Chapters 28–56, pp. 325–47.
- [P] “Julius Caesar,” Chapters 57–69, pp. 347–59.
- Plutarch. “Brutus,” Chapters 1–20. In Plutrach’s Lives . Translated by Bernadotte Perrin, 1918. Loeb Classical Library.
- S/R#: S14 · TOPICS: The Roman Constitution II: Augustus and the Principate · READINGS: [B] Chapter 8: Augustus and the Transformation of the Roman World, pp. 257–81.
- S/R#: S15 · TOPICS: Soft Power: Hearts & Minds of Augustan Rome · READINGS: [B] Chapter 8: Augustus and the Transformation of the Roman World, pp. 281–308.
- Cooley, M.G.L., ed. “Res Gestae Divi Augusti (The Achievements of the Deified Augustus).” In The Age of Augustus . Translated by B.W.J.G. Wilson. London Association of Classical Teachers Occasional Research Series, 2003. ISBN: 9780903625302.
- [B] Chapter 9: The Early Principate (AD 14–69): The Julio-Claudians, the Civil War of 68–69, and Life in the Early Empire, pp. 309–29.
- [B] Chapter 10: Institutionalization of the Principate: Military Expansion and Its Limits, the Empire and the Provinces (69–138), pp. 374–88.
- [B] Chapter 9: The Early Principate (AD 14–69): The Julio-Claudians, the Civil War of 68–69, and Life in the Early Empire, pp. 339–45.
- [B] Chapter 10: Institutionalization of the Principate: Military Expansion and Its Limits, the Empire and the Provinces (69–138), pp. 386–88.
- Roman religion sources
- Shelton, Jo-Ann, ed. “Religion and Philosophy.” Chapter 15 in As the Romans Did: A Sourcebook in Roman Social History. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780195089745.
- [B] Chapter 10: Institutionalization of the Principate: Military Expansion and Its Limits, the Empire and the Provinces (69–138), pp. 347–74.
- [B] Chapter 11: Italy and the Provinces: Civil and Military Affairs (138–235), pp. 389–411.
- [B] Chapter 8: Augustus and the Transformation of the Roman World, pp. 291–94.
- [B] Chapter 9: The Early Principate (AD 14–69): The Julio-Claudians, the Civil War of 68–69, and Life in the Early Empire, pp. 329–30.
- Pollard, Nigel. “The Roman Army.” Chapter 11 in A Companion to the Roman Empire . Edited by David S. Potter. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. ISBN: 9781405199186.
- Slavery sources
- [LE] Chapter 205: Social Legislation: Restrictions on Manumission and Citizenship.
- [LEW] Chapter 24: Agriculture: The Large Estate; Rise of Tenancy.
- [LEW] Chapter 35: Slave Sales.
- [LEW] Chapter 48: Freedmen.
- [LEW] Chapter 49: Manumission.
- [LEW] Chapter 50: The Condition of Slaves.
- S/R#: S24 · TOPICS: Crisis and Recovery: Diocletian & the Tetrarchy · READINGS: [B] Chapter 12: The Third-Century Crisis and the Tetrarchic Restabilization.
- Persecution sources
- [LEW] Chapter 167: Imperial Policy Toward the Christians.
- [LEW] Chapter 168: Propaganda Against Chirstianity.
- [LEW] Chapter 169: Defense of the Christian Way of Life.
- [LEW] Chapter 170: Atrocities Against Christians.
- [LEW] Chapter 171: Interrogation of Christians.
- [LEW] Chapter 172: Organized Persecution of Christianity.
- [LEW] Chapter 173: The End of the Persecutions.
- [LEW] Chapter 174: The Triumph of Christianity.
- [LEW] Chapter 175: The Council of Nicaea, A.D. 325.
- [LEW] Chapter 176: The Foundations of Constantinople.
- [B] Chapter 13: The Rise of Christianity and the Growth of the Barbarian Threat (324–395).
- [B] Chapter 14: The Final Years of the Western Empire and Rome’s Revival in the East.
- The conversion of Constantine sources
- The ‘official’ version:
- The opposition version:
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-H; CI-H
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2017
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.