History 203
The Rise and Fall of Rome
Spring, 2004
REQUIRED READING:
T. W. Africa, The Immense Majesty (Harlan Davidson pb.)
J. Shelton, As the Romans Did. 2nd ed. (Oxford U. Pr. pb.)
Plutarch, The Fall of the Roman Republic (Penguin pb.)
Polybius, The Rise of the Roman Empire (Penguin pb.)
Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome (Penguin pb.)
THE SCOPE OF THE COURSE:
The Greek historian Polybius, a first-hand observer of Roman history in the 2nd century
B.C.E., wondered whether there could be anyone "so petty or so apathetic in his outlook that he
has no desire to discover by what means and under what system of government the Romans
succeeded in less than fifty-three years in bringing under their rule almost the whole of the
inhabited world, an achievement which is without parallel in human history." Beginning with the
founding of the city of Rome (traditional date: 753 B.C.E.), we examine the emergence of
characteristic Roman political, social, legal, and cultural institutions, as well as traverse the roads
of conquest that took Roman armies beyond the confines of Latium and Italy to the domination
of a territory that ran from Britain in the West to southeastern Europe and the Balkans and
further into Anatolia and the traditional Near East, from Germany and the North Sea south to
encompass the entire north coast of Africa, including Egypt.
Rome was a monarchy to start with, but, by the end of the 6th century B.C.E., it had
become a republic that endured for nearly five centuries, before once more coming under oneman rule. We will explore these transitions and their effects, both for the Republic and for
imperial rule down to the end of the Roman empire in the West in 476 C.E.; we will follow the
formative years of Rome's successor, the Byzantine Empire, only through the end of the reign of
Justinian (565 C.E.). The course will include such subjects as constitution and law, religion,
social values and attitudes, the role of women, the economy, international affairs, literature
(drama, epic, satire, and lyric poetry), art and architecture, the writing of history and biography,
the emergence and impact of Christianity, philosophy, and interaction with other cultures.
Considerable use will be made of ancient documents of all sorts to allow the Romans and
their observers to speak for themselves. Slides of sculpture, painting, architecture, and coins will
be used as well.
FORMAT AND REQUIREMENTS:
There will be three lectures per week, but these will be informal lectures, i.e. you are free
to interrupt, in a civil manner, for questions, clarifications, amplifications, etc. We will discuss
some issues and documents.
There will be two examinations: (1) an in-class mid-term examination on which you will
be expected to write an essay on one of three or four questions; (2) a final examination, on which
you will write two essays on topics for which you will also have a choice. The grades on the final
will not be averaged together; you will, therefore, have three grades, of equal weight, on which
the final grade will be based. There will be no papers assigned for this course, nor will it be
possible to write a paper for additional credit or in lieu of an exam.
It will fall to you to read the assigned materials carefully and take good notes on both the
reading and the lectures. To get a high grade, mastery of the course materials will have to be
demonstrated; that involves the learning of both the basic facts and their interpretation, i.e.
description and explanation. The lectures will be of considerable importance, since I will
disagree with or extensively augment the materials in the readings. While I do not put undue
stress on dates and names, it is difficult to comprehend the past without learning some key dates
and the names of major historical figures. You will be expected to be able to place these major
figures and events in a chronological context. Likewise, you will be expected to learn some basic
Roman terminology.
COMPORTMENT AND ATTENDANCE:
I expect your full attention during the class. That means no reading of materials for other
courses, newspapers, love letters, etc. and no chit-chat. Most important, if you know that you
must leave before the end of the hour, please come up and tell me before the class starts; I find it
distracting in the extreme to have people suddenly get up and leave for no apparent reason. An
emergency is, of course, another matter. Sleep on your own time, i.e. not in class.
If you must miss a class, you will be well-advised to get the notes from someone who
was present; as noted above, I will be introducing materials not covered in the assigned readings
and some interpretations that differ from those in the textbook. If you are inclined to attend class
only sporadically, you probably ought to consider some other course; you are unlikely to do well
in this one.
GETTING HELP:
The teaching assistant this semester is a doctoral candidate in history. Both of us will be
available during our office hours (see end of syllabus) to answer questions, help you understand
the material, and in general offer any assistance we can to help you learn the material. Please
take advantage of the opportunity; you will find us eager to help. If you are in doubt, ask!
Appointments can be made for those whose schedules conflict with our office hours.
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND READINGS
This is an approximate guide to the sequence of topics and readings. It may prove
necessary to expand or contract the treatment of certain topics as we go along. While the
readings in Africa and in Shelton are not lengthy, those in Polybius, Plutarch, and Tacitus, are; it
would be wise to start reading and taking notes on these works well ahead of the classes for
which they are assigned. Read Sheltons’ introductions to the individual documents.
Jan. 21:
Introduction to the Course
Jan. 23:
How do We know About Ancient Rome?
READ: Polybius, pp. 9-36; Plutarch, pp. 7-10; Shelton, xxiii-xxv, 440-51.
Jan. 26:
Geography & Peoples of Italy
READ: Africa, 1-36. Familiarize yourselves with the maps in Shelton, 434-35.
Jan. 28:
Roman Memories: Founders, Kings, and Liberty
READ: Africa, 37-49; Shelton, 1-3 (incl. Doc. 1), Docs. #s 7, 15, 234, 423, 428.
Jan. 30:
The Early Republic, I: Rome Against Italy
READ: Africa, 49-50, 54-60.
Feb. 2:
The Early Republic, II: The Emerging Roman Polity
READ: Africa, 50-54, 60-66; Polybius, Book VI; Shelton, Docs. #s 251-53, 25658, pp. 203-05.
Feb. 4:
The Early Republic, III: Society, Religion, Values
READ: Africa, 67-99; Shelton, pp. 4-8; Doc. #2; pp. 11-12; Doc. #8; pp. 16-17;
Doc. #15; p. 47, Doc. #66; pp. 203-05; Docs. #s 251-53, 255-58, 355, 406, 408,
416, 418-19, 423, 426-28.
Feb. 6:
The Middle Republic: The Path to Empire, I: First Carthage
READ: Africa, 100-28; Polybius: pp. 41-112, 123-24, 147-276, 297-301, 358-63,
369-94, 399-428, 452-82; Shelton, p. 137 (bottom); Docs. #s 134, 175, 179-80; p.
163, Doc. # 198; pp. 268-70; Docs. #s 291-92, 317, 335, 352, 409, 434.
Feb. 9:
The Path to Empire, II: Then the Greek World
READ: Africa, 129-39; Polybius, pp. 494-541; Shelton, Docs. #s 291-92, 415,
435-37.
Feb. 11:
The Price of Empire
READ: Africa, 139-54; Shelton, Docs. #s 134,163 (last par.), 164, 175-76, 180,
187-88, 191, 207-09 318, 207, 209, 219, 404, 414, 420, 456; pp. 148-50.
Feb. 13:
The Late Republic: The Gracchi: Strains in the Body Politic
READ: Africa, 154-61; p. 193 (top par.); Shelton, pp. 152-54, Docs. #s 187, 265,
333.
Feb. 16:
Marius and Sulla: Generals to the Left and Right
READ: Africa, 161-71; Plutarch: Gaius Marius, Sulla.
Feb. 18:
From Sulla to Catiline: The Cracks Widen
READ: Africa, 172-83; Plutarch: Crassus, §§ 1-13; Pompey, §§ 1-46; Cicero, §§
1-23; Caesar, §§ 1-8. Shelton, Docs. #s 177, 238, 266, 321, 334.
Feb. 20,23:
Caesar Buries the Republic; Antony Buries Caesar
READ: Africa, 183-197; Plutarch: Crassus, §§ 14-33; Pompey, §§ 47-80; Caesar,
9-69; Cicero, §§ 24-49; Shelton, Docs. #s 2, 229, 253-55, 259, 262, 265-66, 272,
293, 318-20.
Feb.25, 27:
Society in the Roman Republic
READ: Shelton, Docs. #s: 8, 18, 25, 29, 48, 54, 69-70, 76, 82, 109, 124-25, 128,
163, 171, 183-84, 191-92, 194, 208, 227, 238, 261, 326, 334-35, 345, 377, 39697.
Mar.1, 3:
The Golden Age of Roman Culture
READ: Africa, 208-17; Shelton, Docs. #s 56, 75, 272, 326, 360, 407, 438, 460-65.
Mar. 5:
********* MID-TERM EXAMINATION *********
Mar. 8:
Augustus and the Creation of the Principate
READ: Africa, 197-207; Shelton, Docs. #s 267, 275-76.
Mar. 10:
Augustus: Man and Ruler
READ: Africa, 218-26; Tacitus, §§ 31-42; Shelton, Docs. #s 38-40, 77-78
(including the genealogical charts on pp. 56-57), 268, 330.
Mar. 15:
Historians of the Roman Empire
READ: Tacitus, pp. 7-27; Africa, pp. 108, 173, 218-20, 222, 230, 233, 236-37,
259-61, 264, 266, 269-71, 284, 288, 315, 286, 359, 367-69; Shelton, pp. 440-50;
Docs. #s 334, 175-, 179-80, 292, 335, 415-16, 434-35, 437, 7, 232, 419, 426, 428,
276, 66, 333, 19, 323-34, 39, 267, 134, 176, 423, 39.
Mar. 17, 19:
Tiberius, the Sullen Caesar
READ: Africa, 226-28; Tacitus, 38-227; Shelton, Docs. #s 429, 431, 442.
Mar. 22:
Caligula, Claudius, Nero, and the Year of the Four Emperors
READ: Africa, 228-35; Tacitus, 231-397; Shelton, Docs. #s 222, 378, 445.
Mar. 24:
The Flavian Dynasty
READ: Africa, 235-38.
Mar. 26,29:
The "Golden Age" of Rome: “The Good Emperors”
READ: Africa, 238-62; Shelton, Docs. #s 90, 269-70, 288, 322, 379, 233, 305,
315, 91, 20, 193, 367.
Mar. 31Apr.16:
The Society and Culture of the Principate
READ: Africa, 262-83, 403-08; Shelton, Docs. #s 54-55, 57-66, 68, 71,
73-4, 77-78, 16-17, 19-24, 26-28, 30-47, 52-3, 325, 327, 329-32, 336-44, 99-108,
110-23, 126-27, 130-33, 135, 137-52, 154-58, 161-62, 165-67, 169-70, 172-74,
181-82, 185-86, 189-93, 195-97, 199-206, 210-18, 220-26, 228, 231, 233-50, 7998, 348-59, 361-76, 378, 382-88, 390-95, 398-400, pp. 359-62; 402-03, 406, 41013, 417, 421-22, 424-25, 427, 429-32.
Apr. 19:
Roman Art & Architecture
READ: Look at plates in Africa.
Apr. 21:
Coins as Evidence for Roman History
READ: Africa, pls. on pp. 111, 193, 196, 232.
Apr. 23:
Severans and Soldiers
READ: Africa, 284-98.
Apr. 26:
Autocracy's Reign: Diocletian to Constantine
READ: Africa, 298-324; Shelton, Doc. #168.
Apr. 28:
Christian Beginnings
READ: Africa, 325-46; Shelton, Docs. #s 440-43, 445.
Apr. 30:
The Trials and Triumph of Christianity
READ: Africa, 346-357; Shelton, Docs. #s. 446-48, 440, 449-52, 454-55, 457-59,
466-73.
May 3:
The End of the Western Roman Empire
READ: Africa, 358-88.
May 6:
The Aftermath and Survival in the East
READ: Africa, 388-401.
May 7: Law: Rome's Abiding Legacy
READ: Shelton, Docs. #s 3-6, 277-90, 426, 225-26, 317, 251, 253, 155, 153, 162,
186.
History 203 is a 4-credit course.
Instructor: Professor G. E. Kadish
Office: LT 609
Phone:
x2488 E-mail: kadishg@binghamton.edu
Office hours: M: 1:10-2:10; W: 3:30-4:30, Th: 9:00-10:00
and by appointment
TA: Ms. Mira Kofkin
Office: LT
Office hours: