When Tiberius inherited sovereign power from Augustus, permanently instituting dynastic succession, this system introduced new players into the ruling hierarchy: the Imperial family and court. Tacitus and Suetonius offer incisive portrayals not only of the autocrat and aristocratic officials, but also the women and freedmen surrounding the court. It is these individuals who, through detailed descriptions of their personal intrigue, characterize the administration of the Empire. Though expressing common perceptions of gender and status, Martial, Petronius, and Seneca reveal the reactions of a society with conservative Roman Republican ideals being reconciled in an increasingly Hellenized Empire. Both Greek and Latin sources from the High and Late Empire reflect the changing status of women and freedmen amid a growing diversity of customs and ideas. This new fluidity was encouraged by the preferences of elite families emanating from various provincial backgrounds, rather than strictly Roman and conservative ancestry. This course will focus on these individuals and families of the Roman Empire who broke traditional stereotypes and formed new fashions and societal rules. Topics include: the changing status of traditional gender types and established class systems and the role of rulers, women, and freedmen.
Required Texts*:
Methods of evaluation:
The Imperial Family
Wed. Nov. 29
Discussion: Tacitus Tiberius and Livia
Presentation: I, Claudius (video)
Readings: Tacitus pgs. 231-397
Thurs. Nov. 30
Discussion: Claudius and Nero, Messalina and Agrippina the Younger
Presentation: I, Claudius (video)
Readings: Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars Augustus and Tiberius,
pgs. 54-152.
Fri. Dec. 1
Discussion: Biography
Presentation the emperors Caligula (Gaius), Claudius, and Nero and
the year of 4 Emperors, 69 AD
Readings: Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Vespasian, Titus, and
Domitian pgs. 278 - 314
Mon. Dec. 4
Discussion: The Flavian Dynasty
Presentation: Satire in the Ancient World.
Readings: Seneca, Apocolosyntosis, pgs. 209-233 and Juvenal
Satires
1, 3, 6, 10, 14
Tues. Dec. 5
Discussion: Seneca and Juvenal
Presentation: Oscenity in Latin Literature
Reading: Martial, Epigrams, TBA and Petronius, The Satyricon
pg. 36-91
Wed. Dec. 6
Discussion: Martial and Petronius
Presentation: The Novel in the Ancient World
Readings: - Apuleius, Readings: The Golden Ass, bks. 1-5
Thurs. Dec. 7
Discussion: Apuleius, The Golden Ass
Presentation: The Second Sophistic and Apuleius Apologia
Readings: Apuleius, The Golden Ass, bks. 6-11
Fri Dec.8
Discussion: Apuleius
Presentation: Isis
Readings: Aulus Gellius and Plutarch
Mon. Dec. 11 Research Day
Tues. Dec.12 1st Drafts Due - Apuleius, Readings: The Golden
Ass
bks. 6-11.
Wed. Dec. 13 Aulus Gellius and Plutarch, Readings: TBA
Presentation: The Emperor Hadrian.
Thurs. Dec. 14 Plutarch and Lucian, Readings: My Dream, pgs.
3-10, A True Story, pgs 13-57, Dialogues of the Gods, pgs,
99-124
Fri. Dec. 15 Individual meetings
Mon. Dec. 18 - Lucian, Readings: Timon, pgs. 239-266, Alexander the Quack Prophet, pgs. 267-300, Dialogues of the Courtesans, pgs. 301-313.
Tues. Dec. 19 Wrap-up and Review Final Papers Due
Wed. Dec. 20 Final Exam
Bibliography:
The Family in Ancient Rome : New Perspectives / edited by Beryl
Rawson. HQ511 .F35 1986
I, Claudia : Women in Ancient Rome / Diana E.E. Kleiner and and Susan B. Matheson, editors. N5763.I25 1996
Woman; Her Position and Influence in Ancient Greece and Rome, and among the Early Christians, by James Donaldson. HQ1127.D7
Women in ancient Greece and Rome / by Marjorie Bingham, Susan Gross. HQ1134 .B56 1983
The Women of the Caesars / by Guglielmo Ferrero. DG281.F4
Women's History and Ancient History / edited by Sarah B. Pomeroy. HQ1127.W6525 1991
The Latin Sexual Vocabulary / J.N. Adams. PA6026.A325 1982
Greek Sophists in the Roman Empire / G. W. Bowersock. B288.B68 1969
The Second Sophistic / G. Anderson. DG78. A63 1993