HISTORY V101

Section 002

Dr. Powers

Fall, 2008

 

COURSE OUTLINE

 

V  THE ROMAN WORLD

A.    The Influence of Geography

B.     Early Development [See “Stages of Roman History” Power Point Outline]

1.      Greeks, Italians, and Etruscans

2.      The Legend of Romulus and Remus and the Founding

3.      The Importance of Myths and Heroes

a.       Livy's stories, lessons & values [See Online Reading #8]

b.      Cincinnatus

c.       Horatius

d.      Lucretia

e.       “Mythic images to reinforce Roman patriotism”

C.     The Roman Republic

1.      Political Institutions [See Online reading #7]

a.       Imperium

b.      Consuls and other magistrates

c.       The Senate

d.      Tribunes

e.       Assemblies

1)      Centuriate assembly

2)      Council of Plebs

f.       Dictator

2.      Political evolution

a.       Patricians and Plebeians

b.      The Struggle of the Orders (see p. 120 of Spielvogel)

3.      The Expansion of Roman Rule

a.       Italy

1)      (see chart on  p. 120 of Spielvogel)

2)      The Roman confederation

3)      Colonies and roads

b.      The Punic Wars (see chart on p. 124 of Spielvogel)

1)      Carthage

2)      Hamilcar Barca

3)      Hannibal

4)      Cannae

5)      Scipio Africanus

6)      Zama

c.       The Macedonian Wars

d.      The Seleucids and the Syrian War

4.      Republican Society and Culture

5.      The Family

a.       Gentes

b.      Paterfamilias

c.       Clientage

d.      The role of the family in Roman society and culture

e.       Women and marriage

1)      Marriage cum manu

2)      Marriage sine manu

3)      Increasingly easier divorce over time

6.      Greek influence

a.       Through Etruscans

b.      Through Magna Graecia

c.       Through conquests in the East

d.      “Captive Greece took captive her rude conquerer

7.      Religion

a.       Importance of ritual

b.      Augurs and auspices

c.       Pontiffs and Pontifex Maximus

d.      Hearth, field, and family cults

e.       Amalgamation with Greek religion and myths

f.       A wide degree of tolerance

8.      Education

9.      Slavery and its influence

10.  Law

a.       “One of Rome’s chief gifts to the Mediterranean world of its day and to succeeding generations of Western Civilization

b.      Twelve Tables

c.       Ius civile

d.      Ius gentium

e.       Ius naturale

11.  Literature and Art

a.       Drama -- Terence and Plautus

b.      Cato and prose works of practical value

c.       Influence of Stoicism

d.      Architecture

e.       Copying Greek sculpture and styles

12.  The Values crisis

a.       Declining attachment to pietas

b.      Growth of materialism

c.       Cato the Elder

d.      Hellenization and its divisive effects

e.       Scipio Aemilianus

D.    The "Roman Revolution" (p. 142 of Spielvogel)

1.      The Destabilizing Effects of Imperialism

a.       Hellenization and syncretism of values

b.      Militarization of society and citizens

c.       Displacement of the small farmers

1)      rise of the latifundia

2)      the proletariat

d.      Lionization of military leaders

e.       How to govern an empire with a political system designed for a city republic.

2.      The Growing Power of the Senate

3.      Nobiles, optimates, populares, equites,

4.      The Gracchi

a.       Tiberius

b.      Gaius

5.      Marius

6.      Sulla

a.       The Italian War ("Social War"

b.      Extension of Citizenship

c.       The Civil War

d.      Terror, proscription, and dictatorship

7.      Crassus, Pompey, Cicero, Caesar

8.      The First Triumvirate

9.      The Rule of Julius Caesar

a.       Crossing the Rubicon

b.      Pharsalus

c.       Elections continue, but under his control

d.      Packing the Senate

e.       Reform of the calendar

f.       Dictator for life

g.      Colonizations

h.      The assassination and the war

10.  The Second Triumvirate

a.       Marcus Lepidus, Octavian, and Mark Anthony

b.      Octavian vs. Anthony and Cleopatra

c.       Actium

11.  Octavian in Power

12.  The Age of Augustus

a.       The new political structure

1)      Maius imperium

2)      The powers of a tribune

3)      Pontifex Maximus

4)      Princeps

b.      The army

1)      Legions

2)      Auxiliaries

3)      The Praetorian Guard

4)      An agent of Romanization

5)      An avenue of upward mobility

c.       The administration of the empire

d.      Social legislation

1)      Classes

a)      Senatorial

b)      Equestrian

c)      Lower

2)      “Bread and Circuses”

3)      Restoration of traditional religion

4)      Sumptuary, sexual, and marital laws

e.       The imperial cult

f.       Art and literature

1)      Catullus

2)      Lucretius

3)      Cicero

4)      Sallust

5)      Caesar

6)      Horace

7)      Virgil

8)      Ovid

9)      Livy

g.      Expansion of the Empire and the Battle of Teutoburg Forest

E.     The Early Empire (See chart on p. 156 of Spielvogel)

1.      Pax Romana

2.      The Julio-Claudians

3.      Nero and the Year of Four Emperors

4.      Vespasian and the Flavians

5.      The Five Good Emperors

6.      The Army and the Provinces

a.       Role of the Praetorian Guard

b.      Army as an agent of Romanization

c.       Increasing power of provincial elites

d.      Army becomes less "Roman"

7.      Life in Early Imperial Rome

a.       The importance of cities

1)      Centers of Roman culture

2)      The power of urban elites

b.      Architecture and Engineering

c.       the "Silver Age" of literature

1)      Seneca

2)      Petronius and the Satyricon

3)      Tacitus

4)      Juvenal

d.      More "Bread and Circuses"

e.       Growth of manufacturing

f.       Widespread trade and prosperity