The Making of a Roman Emperor
Through close examination of the emperor Augustus and his Julio-Claudian successors, this subject investigates how Roman emperors used art, architecture, coinage, and other media to create and project an image of themselves, how the surviving literary sources from the Roman period reinforced or subverted that image, and how both phenomena have contributed to post-classical perceptions of Roman emperors. Also considers works of Suetonius and Tacitus, and modern representations of the emperors such as those found in the films I, Claudius , Quo Vadis , and HBO's Rome series. Enrollment limited to 15.
Spring 2023
Through close examination of the emperor Augustus and his Julio-Claudian successors, this subject investigates how Roman emperors used art, architecture, coinage, and other media to create and project an image of themselves, how the surviving literary sources from the Roman period reinforced or subverted that image, and how both phenomena have contributed to post-classical perceptions of Roman emperors. It also considers works of Suetonius and Tacitus as well as modern representations of the emperors such as those found in the films *I, Claudius*, *Quo Vadis*, and HBO's *Rome* series.
Readings
- [LC] = Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars , transl. C. Edwards (Oxford World’s Classics 2000). ISBN: 9780199537563.
- [A] = Tacitus, The Annals , transl. J.C. Yardley (Oxford World’s Classics 2008). ISBN: 9780192824219.
- [AE] = Virgil, The Aeneid , transl. R. Fagles (Penguin Classics 2010). ISBN: 9780143106296.
- [CNA] = E. Buckley and M.T. Dinter (eds.), A Companion to the Neronian Age (Wiley-Blackwell 2013). ISBN: 9781118316535.
- K. Galinsky (1998), Augustan Culture , pp. 155–179. Princeton University Press. ISBN: 9780691058900.
- J. Pollini (2012), From Republic to Empire , pp. 162–203. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN: 9780806142586.
- Session 5: Virgil’s Aeneid I
- K.W. Gransden (1990), Virgil: The Aeneid , pp. 36–42 (a brief summary of the poem). Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9780521323291.
- Session 6: Virgil’s Aeneid II
- Cooley, M.G.L., ed. (2023), Epigraphic sources for the Ludi Saeculares & Horace, Carmen Saeculare, in The Age of Augustus . Translated by B.W.J.G. Wilson. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9781009382892.
- ———, “The Social Legislation of Augustus,” in The Age of Augustus ., pp. 353–372 Translated by B.W.J.G. Wilson. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9781009382892.
- P. Zanker (1988), The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus , pp. 156–192. University of Michigan Press. ISBN: 9780472081240.
- A. Wallace-Hadril (2018), Augustan Rome , 2 nd ed., pp. 65–88. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN: 9781472534262.
- K. Galinsky (1998), Augustan Culture , pp. 197–213. Princeton University Press. ISBN: 9780691058900.
- [LC] Suetonius, ‘ The Deified Augustus’ , pp. 43–97.
- C. Dio (1987), The Roman History , Book 52. Translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert. Penguin Books. ISBN: 9780140444483.
- Session 12: I, Claudius
- K. Scott (1931–2), “Mussolini and the Roman Empire,” Classical Journal 27, pp. 645–657.
- K. Jenkins (2003), Re-thinking History , pp. 6–32. Taylor & Francis. ISBN: 9781134408283.
- R. Evans (1997), In Defence of History , pp. 224–253. Granta Books. ISBN: 9781862071049.
- M. Griffin (2008), “Nero,” in A. Barrett (ed.), Lives of the Caesars , pp. 107–130. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 9781405127547.
- [CNA] M. Griffin (2013), “Nachwort: Nero from Zero to Hero,” pp. 467–480.
- Seneca (1986), The Apocolocyntosis . Translated by J.P. Sullivan. Penguin Books. ISBN: 9780140444896.
- [LC] Suetonius, Nero , sections 31 and 38 (211–212 and 217).
- [A] Tacitus, Annals , 15.38–44 (pp. 356–360).
- J. Elsner (1994), “Constructing Decadence: The Representation of Nero as Imperial Builder,” in J. Elsner and J. Masters (eds.), Reflections of Nero , pp. 112–127. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN: 9780807821435.
- [CNA] H.-J. Beste and H. von Hesberg (2013), “Buildings of an Emperor—How Nero Transformed Rome,” pp. 314–331.
- Session 18: Seneca and Not-Seneca: Clemency and the Octavia
- Seneca (2007), excerpts from “On Mercy (De Clementia),” in Dialogues and Essays . Translated by John Davie. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199552405.
- ——— (1966), “Octavia,” in Four Tragedies and Octavia . Translated by E.F. Watling. Penguin Classics. ISBN: 9780140441741.
- [LC] Suetonius, The Life of Nero (pp. 195–227).
- T. Barton (1994), “The Inventio of Nero: Suetonius,” in J. Elsner and J. Masters (eds.), Reflections of Nero , pp. 48–63. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN: 9780807821435.
- [A] Tacitus, The Annals , 12.64–14.65 (pp. 266–337).
- [A] Tacitus, The Annals , 15.32–16.35 (pp. 353–393).
- A. Barrett (2020), Rome Is Burning: Nero and the Fire That Ended a Dynasty , pp. 143–174. Princeton University Press. ISBN: 9780691208503.
- [CNA] H. O. Maier (2013), “Nero in Jewish and Christian Tradition from the First Century to the Reformation,” pp. 385–404.
- Session 23: Big Screen Nero: Quo Vadis?
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: None Acad Year 2027-2028: Not offered Acad Year 2028-2029: U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-H
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2023
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.