Archaeology of Imperial Rome: Caesar to Constantine

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course examines the archaeology of the Rome Empire, from the rise of Julius Caesar to the reign of Constantine. Students analyze and interpret material evidence from the ancient Roman world, from both Italy and the provinces, and assess the multi-faceted histories and cultures of the Roman people. The aim of the course is to introduce students to the analysis and interpretation of Roman material culture, particularly archaeological sites, monuments and art. The course traces the formation and development of the Roman Empire across the Mediterranean, beginning with the "Golden Age" of Augustus, and attempts to reconstruct what life might have been like in ancient Rome, Pompeii and in the Roman provinces, particularly Roman Greece. In addition to exploring architecture, coins, inscriptions, sculpture, paintings, ceramics and other ancient material, students also consider the methods, results, and theory of archaeological research, in the areas of field excavation and intensive surface survey. Major themes to be discussed include Roman imperialism, acculturation (especially so-called "Romanization"), ethnicity, urbanism, government, paganism, the imperial cult (emperor worship), death and burial, Christianity, and the discrepant identities of women, children, slaves, freedmen, and freeborn under imperial Rome.