Roman
Republic & Empire
Fall
2009
Fresco of a woman with a writing
tablet from Pompeii, 1st century
CE
HIST 4023
MWF 1:30-2:20 pm
Old Main 319
Office: 407 Old Main
Office Hours: W 10:30-11:30, Th 1:00-2:00
Phone: (479) 575-5891
Email: cmuntz@uark.edu
Overview:
This class surveys the history of the Romans from 753 BCE
to 336 CE, whose achievements in government, history, arts,
and literature continue to influence and fascinate us
today. We will begin with the pre-history, and move on to
the Roman Republic, which endured for more than four
hundred years, conquered much of the Mediterranean World,
and had a profound impact on the modern United States. The
Republic came to the end in the turbulent Civil Wars, which
were followed by the rise of one of the most enigmatic and
influential figures in history, the Emperor Augustus. From
there we will examine the Roman Empire and the often
strange men (and women) who controlled its destiny, ending
with the Empire at its peak but with chaos and a strange
new religion looming on the horizon.
Workload
Quizzes: There will be
a short map quiz on September 9. The list of places to know
is here,
and a blank map for practice is here.
Exams:
There will be an in-class
midterm on October 14, and a final exam on Tuesday,
December 15, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Both will consist of
identification, short answer, and essay questions.
Papers: There will be
one short (5 pages) and one long (10 pages) paper for this
class. The short paper will be evaluating two ancient sources
of the same event, due on September 25. The second paper
will be on a topic of the student’s choice, due November
30. Before writing your paper, you must prepare a
bibliography with at least five modern sources
(excluding the textbook) and meet with me to discuss
your topic. There will be an in-class sign up for this
meeting on October 19.
First Paper Assignment
Bibliographic
resources for ancient history
Formatting guidelines
Grading
policies
Participation:
Certain class periods are set aside for class
discussions. Questions based on the
primary sources to get things started can be found
here, but feel
free to raise other issues or questions on your own.
Grading policies for discussions can be found
here.
Attendance:
Regular attendance is important. I will allow each student
to miss up to four classes without penalty to cover things
like illness and religious observances. Please email me in
advance if you are going to miss class. For each absence
after the first four, unless there is a serious problem, I
will lower the final participation grade by 10 points. If
you do have to miss a class, make sure you meet with
another student to find out what you missed!
Grading:
Quiz 1: 2.5%
Paper 1: 15%
Paper 2 Bibliography: 2.5%
Paper 2: 25%
Participation: 15%
Midterm: 15%
Final: 25%
Reading
Materials
Required Texts
(Available in the bookstore,
or order online):
Boatwright, Mary T. et al. The Romans: From Village to
Empire.
ISBN 0195118766 - Abbreviated as Boatwright
Walsh, P. G., trans. Cicero: Selected Letters.
ISBN 9780199214204 - Abbreviated as Cicero, Letters
Waterfield, Robin. Plutarch: Roman Lives. ISBN
9780199537389 - Abbreviated as Plutarch
Woodman, A. J. Tacitus: The Annals. ISBN
9780872205581 - Abbreviated as Tacitus, Annals
Other readings will be made available via the course
website or handouts.
Policies
Equal
Access: University of
Arkansas Academic Policy Series 1520.10 requires that
students with disabilities are provided reasonable
accommodations to ensure their equal access to course
content. If you have a documented disability and require
accommodations, please contact me privately at the
beginning of the semester to make arrangements for
necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must
first verify your eligibility for these through the Center
for Educational Access (contact 479-575-3104 or
visit http://cea.uark.edu for more information on registration
procedures).
Inclement Weather: If
the University stops running the Razorback Bus System
because of snow or bad weather, there will be no class.
Otherwise, class is on!
Miscellaneous:
Please turn off all cell phones and finish any food you
might be eating before coming into class. Drinks are
acceptable.
Daily
Topics and Reading Assignments
Week 1
August 24 -
Introduction
August 26 - The Sources for Early Roman History
Boatwright, pp
1-31
August 28 - The
Regal Period
Boatwright, pp
32-48
Livy, Book 1
Week 2
August 31 - The
Beginning of the Republic
Boatwright, pp
48-70
Livy, Book 2
September 2
- Early Roman History
Discussion
The Twelve Tables
September 4 - The Growth of the Republic
Week 3
September 7 - Labor Day, no class!
September 9 - The Conquest of Italy / Map Quiz /
List of Places / Blank Map
Boatwright, pp
75-95
September 11 -
The First Punic War
Boatwright, pp
97-111
Polybius, Book 1
Week 4
September 14 -
The Second Punic War
Boatwright, pp 111-119
Polybius, Book 3.1-38, 47-60, 77-94,
100-118
September 16 - Polybius Discussion
Polybius, Book 6
September 18 - The Conquest of the Greeks
Boatwright, pp
119-135
Plutarch, Life of Aemilius Paullus
Week 5
September 21 -
Rome and Greek Culture
Plutarch, Life of
Cato the Elder
September 23 - The Problems of Empire
Boatwright,
136-165
Plutarch, Lives of Tiberius and
Gaius Gracchus
September 25 - Marius / First Paper Due
Boatwright, pp
166-183
Plutarch, Life of Marius
Week 6
September 28 -
Sulla and the Coming of Pompey
Boatwright, pp
183-213
Plutarch, Life of Sulla 22-38, Life
of Pompey 1-42
September 30 -
Cicero
Boatwright,
213-224
Cicero, Letters 1-4
October 2 - The
Three-Headed Monster
Boatwright,
225-244
Cicero, Letters 5-10, 12-15, 17-20,
22-24, 26-28, 30
Week 7
October 5
- Cicero Discussion 1
Cicero, Letters
32-33. 35-36, 38, 40, 45, 47, 51, 54-59, 61, 63
October 7 - The Civil War
Boatwright, pp
244-266
Cicero, Letters 66-67, 69, 72-77,
90-91, 101, 108-110, 112, 115, 121, 123, 125, 127, 131,
133-134
October 9 - Cicero Discussion 2
Cicero, Letters
135-139, 141, 143, 146-151, 154-156, 160-165
Week 8
October 12 - The
Rise of Octavian and the Fall of the Republic
Boatwright, pp
267-288
Plutarch, Life of Antony
October 14 -
Midterm
October 16 - The Augustan Settlement
Boatwright pp
288-312
Cassius Dio, Book
53
Week 9
October 19 - The New Era of Augustus / Sign up for paper
meetings
October 21 - The Army and the Provinces
October 23 - Augustus Discussion
Boatwright, pp
312-316
Res Gestae
Cassius Dio, Book
56.32-47
Tacitus, Annals 1.8-11
Week 10
October 26 -
Tiberius
Boatwright pp
317-324
Tacitus, Annals 1.1-81, 2.41-43,
2.53-88, 3.1-19
October 28 - Tacitus Discussion 1
Tacitus, Annals 3.22-30, 3.52-72,
4.1-22, 4.27-41, 4.52-67, 6.1-27, 6.45-51
October 30 - Caligula
Week 11
November 2 -
Claudius
Boatwright pp
328-332, esp. the speech on p 329
Tacitus, Annals 11.1-12.69
November 4 - Nero
Boatwright, pp
332-335
Tacitus, Annals 13.1-7, 13.11-29,
13.45-52, 14.1-22, 14.29-65
November 6 - Tacitus Discussion 2
Tacitus, Annals 15.23-25, 15.33-74,
16.1-35
Week 12
November 9 - The
Four Emperors
Boatwright, pp
335-340
Suetonius, Life of Galba, Life of Otho, Life of Vitellius
November 11 - The Flavians
Boatwright, pp
353-364
Suetonius, Life of Vespasian, Life of Domitian
November 13 -
Pompeii
Pliny the
Younger, Letters describing the eruption
of Vesuvius
Week 13
November 16 - The
Adoptive Emperors
Boatwright, pp
364-392
HA, Life of Hadrian
Part 1 Part 2
November 18 - The
Antonines
Boatwright, pp
393-406
HA, Life of Marcus Aurelius
Part 1 Part 2
November 20 - The Early Christians
Pliny the
Younger, Letters to Trajan on the
Christians
Week 14
November 23 - The
Severans
Boatwright 406-416
Herodian Book 3
Week 15
November 30 - The
Age of Anarchy / Second Paper Due
Boatwright, pp.
431-438
December 2 -
Diocletian and the Restoration of Power
Boatwright, pp.
438-447
Lactantius, On the Deaths of the Persecutors
7-24
December 4 - Constantine and the New Rome
Boatwright, pp.
447-457
Eusebius, Life of Constantine
Week 16
December 7 -
Epilogue