Course syllabus

ANCHIST 355: The Later Roman Empire

SEMESTER 2, 2018

15 points

 
Course Convenor: 

Dr Justin Pigott - j.pigott@auckland.ac.nz

Room 707 Arts 1

Email: j.pigott@auckland.ac.nz

Office Hour: Thursday 12-1pm

 

Course delivery format:

Three lectures per week:

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 2–3pm

N.B. There is no tutorial for this class

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

 

Summary of Course Description:              

This course is designed as an introduction to the history of the later Roman Empire, both East and West, between the third and the sixth centuries. It explores the themes of change and continuity, examining the impact of new forces on the institutions and culture of the Roman world, but also surveying those elements which survived into the Middle Ages, and even to our present day. 

Lectures and readings will raise a series of broad questions: What happened to the Roman Empire and why did it happen? Is this a story of "decline and fall"? How were old social and cultural forms adapted and changed? How and why does the ideal of Rome survive?

Topics covered include the social, economic and political crises of the period and how they were (or were not) resolved, contacts and conflicts between Romans and barbarians, the impact of Christianity and other religious movements, the persistence of pagan cultural and intellectual traditions, and the reinterpretation of the Roman past by those forging a new future in both the East and the West.

 

Course outcomes:

This course is designed as an introduction to the history of the later Roman Empire, both East and West, between the third and the sixth centuries. The first two lectures of each section examine major themes from the period. The third lecture is devoted to a case-study, examining an important topic, source, or group of sources, in some detail. The intention is to balance lectures conveying content with case-studies which provide a more sensory feel for the flavour and distinctiveness of the past. These case-studies will concentrate on allowing you to hear the voices of those who lived through the events described, or to see the artefacts which they produced. You are required to read selections from primary sources each week, but where the primary sources might be difficult to access, brief secondary readings have been assigned instead or as well. These readings expose you to a wide variety of ancient sources, including histories, literary works, art, archaeology and legal texts. The lectures guide you in how to use these sources and to think about the challenges and problems they pose to historians.

A student who successfully completes this course will have:

• Gained a broad knowledge and understanding of the later Roman empire
• Enhanced their ability to evaluate primary evidence and evaluate modern sources
• Undertaken independent research

 

Assessment Summary:

Essay A (2000 words, rolling due dates) - 35%

Essay B (2000 words, rolling due dates) - 35%

Review Essay (due 11:59 pm Oct 25, 2000 words) - 30%

 

Weekly Topics:

Week One

July 17: Introduction to the course

July 18: The legacy of Augustus

July 19: The problems of empire

Suggested reading: LRE, chapter two

 

Week Two

July 24: The third century: what went wrong?

July 25: Diocletian’s reforms and the new Roman empire

July 26: Case-study: Problems of the ancient economy

Required reading: Diocletian’s edict on maximum prices; S.J.J. Corcoran, ‘The prices edict’.

Suggested reading: LRE, chapters one and three

 

Week Three

July 31: Constantine

August 1: Christianity

August 2: Case-study: Rhetoric and panegyric

Required reading: Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine, book one.

Suggested reading: LRE, chapters four and five

 

Week Four

August 7: Julian

August 8: The late fourth century: unity and crisis

August 9: Case-study: Eyewitness history

Required reading: Ammianus Marcellinus, selections from books 18 and 19

Suggested reading: LRE, chapter six

 

Week Five

August 14: Rome and Constantinople

August 15: Capitals and provinces, towns and countryside

August 16: Case-study: Social history through hagiography

Required reading: Sulpicius Severus, The Life of St Martin of Tours

Suggested reading: LRE, chapter eight

 

Week Six

August 21: Barbarians: invasions, settlements and military service

August 22: Paganism: a world survives

August 23: Case-study: Magic and ritual, curses and cures

Required reading: Various texts on magic; John Gager, ‘Introduction’.

Suggested reading: LRE, chapter nine; MWLA, chapter two

 

Mid-semester break

 

Week Seven

September 11: Politics and power in the fifth-century West

September 12: Politics and power in the fifth-century East

September 13: Case-study: Law and society

Required reading: Selections from the Theodosian Code; Peter Garnsey and Caroline Humfress, ‘Law and legal practice’.

Suggested reading: LRE, chapter seven; MWLA, Introduction and chapter one

 

Week Eight

September 18: The new economy

September 19: Late antique cities

September 20: Case-study: Arles

Required reading: S.T. Loseby, ‘Arles in late antiquity: Gallula Roma Arelas and Urbs Genesii’.

Suggested reading: LRE, chapter eight; MWLA, chapters four and seven

 

Week Nine

September 25: Letters and elite social networks

September 26: Gender and sexuality

September 27: Case-study: Jerome and the women

Required reading: selections from the works of Jerome

Suggested reading: LRE, chapter ten; MWLA, chapter six

 

Week Ten

October 2: The cult of the saints

October 3: Did the Roman empire fall?

October 4: Case-study: Art and architecture

Required reading: Jaś Elsner, ‘Art and imperial power’; Robin Cormack, ‘Rome with a Christian face? Early Byzantine art 330-527’.

Suggested reading: LRE, chapter eleven, conclusion; MWLA, chapter three

 

Week Eleven

October 9: Justinian, Theodora and Belisarius

October 10: Early Byzantium

October 11: Case-Study: History and gossip

Required reading: Selections from the works of Procopius

Suggested reading: MWLA, chapters five and eight

 

Week Twelve

October 16: Ostrogoths, Lombards and Franks

October 17: Vandals and Visigoths

October 18: Conclusions

Suggested reading: MWLA, chapter 9, conclusion

 

Recommended Texts:

Averil Cameron, The Later Roman Empire, AD 284-430, Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA, 1993 or 2010. (hereafter LRE)

Averil Cameron, The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity, AD 395-700, second edition, Routledge, London and New York, 2012. (hereafter MWLA)

 

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.

 

Library

The Classics and Ancient History subject librarian, Mark Hangartner (m.hangartner@auckland.ac.nz) is available for assistance in researching essays and finding useful resources.  The library also runs a series of sessions at the beginning of the semester, designed to familiarise students with how the library works. 

 

Student Learning Centre

The Student Learning Centre facilitates the acquisition of effective academic learning and performance skills in students.  It is NOT just for struggling students, but for anyone wanting to improve their grades or learn new study skills.  It offers a series of workshops throughout the year, as well as one-on-one appointments with tutors.  The SLC is located on the third floor of the Information Commons, phone: 373 7599 ext. 88850, email: slc@auckland.ac.nz, website: http://cad.auckland.ac.nz/index.php?p=slc

 

Late policy

In fairness to students who meet course deadlines, all unexcused late submissions will be penalised. Extensions for medical, compassionate and other urgent reasons are granted, but require advance approval from the lecturer.

 

Statement on academic integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting his or her learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced.  This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.