This course introduces the ancient Romans’ history, literature, and society. We will be reading some of the most famous writings by Latin authors: a speech and some letters by Cicero; historical works by Sallust and Livy; excerpts from the epic poems of Vergil and Lucretius; political biographies by Suetonius and Tacitus; the account of his career written by Rome’s first emperor, Augustus; and parts of two ancient novels by Petronius and Apuleius. Our analysis of these works, within their historical and cultural context, will introduce some of the most distinctive features of Roman civilization.

We will also consider the characterization of the ancient Romans and their civilization within modern popular culture, glancing at recent movies such as Gladiator, popular TV series such as HBO’s Rome, and historical novels such as Robert Graves’ I Claudius, and Robert Harris’, Imperium. In so doing, we will reflect on the way that contemporary authors, film directors, and artists make use of the memory of the Roman Empire.

Short weekly reading responses, a 5-page essay, a midterm, and a final constitute the written work of the course.