Archaeology of Early Rome: Etruscans to Augustus

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course examines the archaeology of early Rome, from the Etruscans to the reign of Augustus. The aim of the course is to introduce students to the analysis and interpretation of Roman archaeological sites, monuments, art, and artifacts, related to prehistoric Italy, the Roman Republic, and the early Roman Empire. On the basis of material evidence, the course will trace the changing culture of the Roman people and attempt to reconstruct what life might have been like in the Roman Regal and Republican periods and during the "Golden Age" of Augustus. In addition to exploring a wide range of material evidence from both Italy and the provinces, including architecture, coins, inscriptions, sculpture, paintings, ceramics, and other artifacts, the course also considers the methods, results, and theory of archaeological research, particularly in the areas of field excavation and intensive surface survey. Major themes to be discussed in the course include Roman imperialism, acculturation (especially so-called "Romanization"), ethnicity, urbanism, engineering, paganism, the imperial cult (emperor worship), death and burial, politics, economics, and the discrepant identities of women, children, slaves, freedmen, and freeborn in early Rome.