CLAS2661: Emperors & Dynasties: from the Julio-Claudians to Diocletian's Tetrarchy

• CLAS1301

• None

• None

• To use knowledge of Roman history, as acquired in the first year, as a base for further development
• To provide an overview of imperial history from the Julio-Claudian dynasty up to the late 3rd century and the introduction of the tetrarchical system
• To investigate the development of the Roman imperial system: of constitutional and legal issues, of military and administrative matters, and of the ideological development of empire and emperorship
• To explore and analyse in detail a variety of material, literary and visual sources

• This module provides an overview of Roman imperial history, from Augustus' direct successors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, via the Flavian, Antonine and Severan dynasties to the soldier-emperors in the third century and the introduction of the Tetrarchy at the end of that century
• Within the narrative framework, specific attention will be given to constitutional and legal issues, to military and administrative matters, and to the ideological development of empire and emperorship
• In addition to literary texts, this module will explore and analyze in detail a variety of source material, including inscriptions, papyri, sculptures and coinage, and the topography of the city of Rome

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Appropriate knowledge of Roman imperial history from the Julio-Claudian dynasty to the introduction of the tetrarchical system in the late-third century
• Awareness of the relevant scholarly approaches to, and debates on, the development of the Roman imperial system
• Familiarity with interdisciplinary source material (literary texts, inscriptions, iconography, archaeological remains)

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to access, discuss and evaluate critically a combination of different source materials which throw light on the development of the Roman imperial system
• Ability to make proper use of the basic reference tools and bibliography
• Basic grasp of the problems which are inherent in dealing with ancient texts in translation.
• Ability to evaluate key aspects of the imperial system, such as constitutional and legal issues, military and administrative matters, and the ideological development of empire and emperorship, against the background of the development of the Roman empire in the first three centuries AD

Key Skills:

• Capacity to handle a wide range of different sources with care and sophistication
• Assessment of different methodologies applied to the study of Roman imperial history
• Ability to research independently an aspect of the course, and to communicate its results with sophistication in written and oral format

• Lectures will introduce the key topics, the main events and the relevant sources, and provide a broad overview of the development of the Roman imperial system. Seminars will help students to develop skills in the interpretation of ancient sources and modern literature
• Through reading (in preparation for individual lectures) and presentation (in seminars which are dedicated to individual aspects and groups of sources), students will develop their own ideas and learn to discuss them in an interactive manner
• Students will be assessed through a written examination (including passages for comment). The exam will enable the student to display the ability to comment in some detail on specific ancient sources, and to show an understanding of the development of the Roman imperial system

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