History 223, The Roman and Early Byzantine Empire
Spring 2014
Dept. of History
University of Richmond
Walt Stevenson
NC 214 Office Hours: MW 2:30-3:30 (or by appt.)
Course Description: Rome's imperial period traditionally begins with the princeps Augustus consolidating an empire stretching from Spain to Persia, Ethiopia to Russia, under growing bureaucratic control. The period ends with Rome's Islamic successor driving two tiny survivors, Byzantium and Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire, back under cover. This course will outline the evolving imperial strategies and their social effects. It will also attempt to explain the vast shift from Augustus' laissez-faire conglomeration of peoples and kingdoms to Diocletian's centralized state, from the great pax romana (Roman peace) to the endless battles with wave after wave of barbarians, from syncretic polytheism to the theocracy of Justinian and his Muslim followers, in short, from antiquity to the "middle age."
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Requirements: The following will be required of all students taking the course:
- attend classes with a look of intense intellectual curiosity
- complete all the assigned reading carefully taking notes and thinking about the inherent issues
- read Wells/Mitchell and take a test on the basic background
- write out a developed problem with the reading for the day (for discussion days)
- contribute thoughtfully to class discussion
- prove competence on the midterm and final
- complete one of the following projects (original work is required here):
- 10 page research paper.
- 10 page narrative from an ancient perspective.
- 5 page critical review of Gore Vidal's Julian.
- 5 page critical review of a scholarly book (instructor's approval required).
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Grading:
- Test: 10%
- Class Participation: 20%
- Midterm: 20%
- Project: 30%
- Final: 20%
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Schedule of Assignments:
(N.B. These texts can only be accessed from UR's campus network.)
- 1. (January 13) Introduction to the Course.
- 2. (January 15) Review of Mediterranean Geography [read Wells chapters 3, 5, 7]
- 3. (January 17) Mediterranean Before Rome [read Wells chapters 9 and 11]
- 4. January 20) Martin Luther King Day -- NO CLASS
- 5. (January 22) Rome and the Hellenistic World [read Mitchell chapterS 3 and 4]
- 6. (January 24) Test on Background Information
- 7. (January 27) What is History?
- 8. (January 29) Augustus' Biography: Suetonius' Life of Augustus
- 9. (January 31) Res Gestae and the Augustan Revolution
- 10. (February 3) Succession from Augustus to Tiberius: Tacitus
- 11. (February 5) The Annona and the Lower Classes (see also piece on estimating population)
- 12. (February 7) Caligula: Suetonius
- 13. (February 10-14) NO CLASS (START WORK ON PROJECTS)
- 14. (February 17) Roman Slavery:
- 15. (February 19) The Roman Empire from the Outside: Josephus
- 16. (February 21) Barbarians: Tacitus
- 17. (February 24) Domitian and the Dominate: Suetonius
- 18. (February 26) Roman Farming
- 19. (February 28) Christianity from Various Perspectives (Luke and Pliny)
- 20. (March 3) Septimius Severus: Historia Augusta
- 21. (March 5) Lecture: Politics and Sexuality in the Imperial Court
- 22. (March 7) Midterm
- 23. (March 17) Lecture: Roman Games
- 24. (March 19) Severan Women: Cassius Dio
- 25. (March 21) Lecture: Mystery Religions (optional: review Third Century Emperors List)
- 26. (March 24) Diocletian: Barnes and
Eusebius
- 27. (March 26) Constantine:Eusebius, and Lactantius
- 28. (March 28) Julian on Himself: Misopogon
- 29. (March 31) Who Killed Julian: various readings
- 30. (April 2) Lecture: Roman Architecture and Engineering
- 31. (April 4) The Byzantine Court and John Chrysostom: Sozomen's Ecclesiastic History Book 8 Chapters 1-6, 8, 9, 16, 20, 27, 28.
- 32. (April 7) Lecture: the Christian State [PROJECT DUE]
- 33. (April 9) Late Roman Warfare: Vegetius
- 34. (April 11) The Fall of Rome: City of God
- 35. (April 14) Lecture: Theodoric and Gothic Kings
- 36. (April 16) Justinian's Warrior Belisarius: Procopius' Wars
- 39. (April 18) Justinian's Court: Procopius' Secret History (see also Ravenna Mosaics)
- 40. (April 21) Lecture: Justinian's Eastern Policy
- 41. (April 23) Lecture: Heraclius and the Big Fall
- 42. (April 25) Lecture: Byzantine/Holy Roman Empire and Beyond
- April 30, 2:00 PM: FINAL EXAM
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Texts:
- Colin Wells, The Roman Empire.
- Mitchell, Stephen, A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-641: The Transformation of the Ancient World.
- Chris Scarre, Penguin Historical Atlas of Rome.
- Gore Vidal, Julian (optional).
- All other readings are as linked here on this syllabus.
N.B. The instructor does not allow make up tests under any circumstances, nor does he accept late work.
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last changed January 2, 2014