CLST 340A / ARTHIST 209A / HISTORY 238A 
Rome: History of the City
(ALP,CCI,CZ) 1.0 Duke Credit

Instructor: Prof. José M. González, Associate Professor, Classical Studies

This course examines Roman history and culture, especially the city of Rome, from the earliest times to the present day. Rome is prominent as one of the supreme centers of urban culture in the western world. Here, as nowhere else, one can read a continuous record of the successive rises, declines, and re-emergences of the city in its Italian context and as a central expression of our civilization.

In this course, the students will experience the history of the city directly and personally through walking lectures and guided tours of major sites, monuments, and museums. Visits to other ancient sites in Italy help students visualize Roman urban realities and ideals. The sites themselves function as "text"; we experience and analyze Rome and other cities in a "hands-on" fashion that cannot be duplicated in the classroom. This hands-on approach allows us to think about the lives of everyday Romans as we not only view the monuments built by and for the wealthy but also walk among the bars, taverns, bakeries, and public toilets that were part of the everyday lives and routines of the non-elite.

Site Visits

We begin our trip in Latium and Campania, for we cannot understand Rome without seeing other sites that convey the contributions of Latin, Greek, and Etruscan cultures to it. The fortified hill towns Ferentinum and Teanum exemplify Rome’s indigenous background. In Campania we encounter Greek sites that influenced Rome (Cumae, Paestum). Here we also find Herculaneum, Pompeii, and other cities whose catastrophic burial by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 has preserved striking evidence of Roman daily life.

Proceeding to Rome, we explore the city itself and some of its important environs: the Etruscan sites of Tarquinia and Cerveteri; the Latin hills; and Roman dependencies like Ostia and Tivoli. These locations convey the central theme of the course: The emergence and development of Roman civilization, the impact of other cultures upon it, and the endless fascination this “head of the world” (caput mundi) has evoked in visitors through the centuries. Attention will be given to the idea of Rome as it emerges in the literature and propaganda of various periods, from antiquity to the present. We will also spend some of our time looking at religious practices, voluntary associations, and economic life in the Roman city, noting in particular the place of Christianity in Rome from its earliest centuries to the emergence of a Christian empire after Constantine.

Attendance is required at all classes, excursions, and group events. Given the intense nature of this program, late arrival and/or early departure is not permitted.

• Arrival: May 14, 2022
• Departure: June 14, 2022

Flights

You will make your own travel arrangements to and from the program site. You are expected to arrive on the arrival date cited above, which usually means departing the U.S. one day prior. Once you have a flight itinerary, log in to MyExperientialEd to update your travel registry.

Housing Before/After

You will need to make your own housing arrangements if you will be arriving before the program start date or leaving later than the program end date.

Itinerary

Please note that this itinerary is not final, and is subject to change.

May 14 - May 21, 2022: Cumae

May 22 - May 26, 2022: Pompeii

May 27 - June 14, 2022: Rome