107-152 Cities of Greece and Rome

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Admission to Fourth Year Honours.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject studies two cities in the imperial period from Augustus (27BC-AD14) to Hadrian (AD117-138). Athens is the first city to be studied, and is perhaps the most important of the Greek city states which flourished between the 8th and 4th centuries BC. Athens' cultural and political achievements can be appreciated through literary and archaeological evidence; the American excavations of the Agora will be a focus of the subject as they have provided information as to the functioning of the city over several centuries. The second city to be studied is Rome, the largest in the ancient world and with an unbroken history up to the present day. Not only have Roman writers documented its history in detail but much can also be learnt from a study of the ruins of ancient Rome, which can be seen throughout the modern city, and from excavation which has provided new evidence about its early history. Students should complete the subject with the ability to use and evaluate archaeological, inscriptional and literary evidence as a means of understanding the workings of ancient cities.

Assessment

Two essays of 2500 words each.

Prescribed Texts

A subject reader will be available.