This class aims to provide adequate tools for analyzing documentary sources related to Roman history; a privileged topic will be the intertwining among epigraphy, historiography and iconographic sources. At the end of the class the student will acquire the skill to analyze the specific document in its proper cultural and historical context; on a more general level, he will critically approach the issue of the construction of historical information.
Course Prerequisites
Knowledge of classical languages, especially Latin, and a basic preparation in the field of ancient history, especially Roman, are both required (with the acquisition of basic concepts such as the periodization of Roman history, the notion of Augustan principate, or the advent of Christianity).
Teaching Methods
Lectures given by the teacher, with the involvement of the students in the methodological reflections generated by the single historical document and by the connections between documents, examined in their own cultural and historical contexts.
Assessment Methods
Oral examination consisting of approximately three questions, distributed between lecture notes and reference texts. Appropriate attention is paid to the verification of ability to analyze the evidence and its historical contextualization.
Texts
Two books among the following will be read in addition to the texts explained by the teacher: – P. Brown, Il mondo tardo antico. Da Marco Aurelio a Maometto, Torino, Einaudi, 1974. – Y. Le Bohec, Armi e guerrieri di Roma antica. Da Diocleziano alla caduta dell’impero, Roma, Carocci, 2008. – B. Ward-Perkins, La caduta di Roma e la fine della civiltà, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2008.
Contents
Texts and historical problems of the imperial age (1st-5th century CE). Reading and historical commentary of some important epigraphic texts.
Course Language
Italian
More information
Students lacking the requirement of ancient Greek, and those who are not able to attend the class, should contact the teacher in time before the beginning of the lessons. Students who certify that they belong to one of the categories requiring special inclusive modes can access dedicated lecture recordings. Students who certify long-term fragile situations can take online testing.
