HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION OF ANCIENT ROMANS

The course is one of the core educational activities characterizing the Master’s Degree Programme in Humanities.
It has the purpose to guarantee to the students the advanced knowledge of historical processes and of the methodology of research in a historic environment through the study of a central topic in ancient Rome history. It intends to guarantee the acquisition of these abilities: sketch out a scientific research and be able to hand the results over through the public history and the scientific communication. The students will develop research and didactical skills in the subject and acquire skills as critical approach during the evaluation of information and news, and understanding of events and cultural processes crucial in the constitution of the occidental identity.
The reachment of these goals assures to the student the cultural, disciplinary, methodological knowledge to insert in the world of work in didactical, cultural, divulgation and communication-linked field suitable with his itinerary of the academic studies.

Attending the course and the seminar and practicing individual study allow students to acquire specific knowledge: the methodology of historical reconstruction, the deep knowledge of fundamental events of Roman history. Will make students acquire these cognitive abilities: applying the historical research methodology with particular focus on the exegesis of different kinds of ancient sources functional to the reconstruction of ancient Rome history and on critical analysis of modern bibliography; be able to reconstruct historical processes through reserach itinerary. Will make students acquire these practical abilities: sketch out a scientific research and be able to hand the results over through the public history and the scientific communication selecting the contents, the ways of communication, the time, know how to deal with team work. The students will have acquired these skills: know how to interpret historical processes; know how to employ a critical approach toward the information sources; interpret correctly the origin of customs of Roman age that survived in contemporay age.

Students should already have attended a BA level Roman history course. Foreign students are invited to contact the course tutor beforehand.
A good knowledge of italian language is necessary.

Through a broad introduction by the teacher, an exemplification in the classroom and a team research essay by the students, the course entitled "Marc Antony / Octavian: a double interview" will examine the political communication of the two rivals who were active at the time of the end of the republic.
The course aims to compare the contents of the political proposal of the two leaders, and above all the communication methods of each of them: it will therefore investigate the dissemination of the political message through writings (epistles, pamphlets, decrees), orality (public and private speeches), images (monumental iconography and private objects), as well as through clothing (official and adopted in private contexts). It will also examine the places where communication took place, both in the institutional sphere (such as institutional assemblies, speeches to soldiers in the camps or harangues on the battlefields) and in the private sphere (such as the houses of leaders during clientele exchanges and political dinners). Finally, it will identify the actors and intermediaries of the transmission of the message (magistrates, intellectual collaborators, women and children of the leaders' family), as well as its timing (immediate, delayed, ephemeral, lasting, selective, memorial communication).

Programme for students attending the course (6 ECTS)

Mandatory texts:
- class notes;
- additional learning and self-evaluation tools, which can be found in the Ca’ Foscari Moodle e-learning platform;
- G. CRESCI MARRONE, Marco Antonio, Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2020
- G: CRESCI MARRONE, Ecumene augustea. Una politica per il consenso,L'Erma di Bretschneider,1993

Reference texts:
- R. MANGIAMELI, Tra duces e milites. Forme di comunicazione politica al tramonto della Repubblica), Trieste, EUT, 2012
-E.G. HUZAR, Mark Antony. A Biography, Minneapolis 1978.
-L. BORGIES, Le conflit propagandiste entre Octavien et Marc Antoine. De l’usage politique de la vituperatio entre 44 et 30 a.C. n., Bruxelles 2016.
-Augusto dopo il bimillenario, a cura di S. Segenni, Firenze,, Le Monnier 2018.

Programme for students who cannot attend classes

Mandatory texts:
-G. CRESCI MARRONE, Marco Antonio, Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2020
- G: CRESCI MARRONE, Ecumene augustea. Una politica per il consenso, L'Erma di Bretschneider,1993
-R. MANGIAMELI, Tra duces e milites. Forme di comunicazione politica al tramonto della Repubblica), Trieste, EUT, 2012
-Augusto dopo il bimillenario, a cura di S. Segenni, Firenze,, Le Monnier 2018.

The evaluation is based on three parts: the check of knowledge on the course contents through an oral examination on topics of the course and on topics developed on texts recommanded in the bibliography; during the same oral test the check of knowledge on contents explained by other students; during seminar, the oral exposition of brief personal research about a case of dissent during Augustan age (substituted for non attending students by extra lectures).
Through these exam the teacher verifies:
1) knowledge: acquisition of fundamental concepts and scientific lexicon of the subject and the methodology of historical research;
2) cognitive abilities: the application of the methodology of historical research with particular focus on the use of sources and on critical approach on bibliography; the ability of analysis of historical processes; practical abilities: communicative abilities, for the public history and scientific communication (selecting the contents, the ways of communication, the time, know how to deal with team work)
3) skills: capability to analyze reality and information.
Each category of examination is judged according to a scale of thirty points, and the final mark is the result of the average of the points earned for each examination.
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All foreign students are invited to contact the course tutor beforehand in order to discuss their study programmes for individual assessment.

Classes will be conducted as seminars, so that all students will have the opportunity to participate in class presentations. A specific research topic will be assigned to each participant. Ancient sources and further readings that will help students prepare their presentation will be provided in class.

Italian

Students who attend this course will be entitled to take part to the seminar activities, stages and training courses organised by the Roman History and Classics faculty during the two terms (the calendar of activities will be provided in class and on the Ca' Foscari website). Students who attend two courses of Roman History and/or Latin Epigraphy will also be entitled to participate to a three-day field trip to Rome that will presumably take place in Spring 2021.

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development