About this course: The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the culture of ancient Rome beginning about 1000 BCE and ending with the so-called "Fall of Rome". We will look at some of the key people who played a role in Rome, from the time of the kings through the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. We will also focus on the city of Rome itself, as well as Rome's expansion through Italy, the Mediterranean, and beyond.
Created by: University of Arizona
Taught by: David Soren, Regents Professor of Classics and Anthropology
Classics and Anthropology
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Introduction to 'Roman Art and Archaeology'
Here you can find all of the introductory information, course syllabus, and helpful resources.
2 videos, 7 readings
- Video: Welcome!
- Video: Dr. Soren in Italy
- Reading: About the course
- Reading: About us
- Reading: Syllabus
- Reading: Grading policy
- Reading: The textbook
- Reading: Online resources
- Reading: Archaeological excavation opportunities
WEEK 2
The Early Romans and Their Ancestors (ca. 1000 - 500 BCE)
In the Early Iron Age (ca. 1000 BCE), civilization in Italy was rather simple. The most sophisticated cultures in the peninsula were not the Romans at all, but rather groups to the north of Rome who have come to be called The Villanovans, who exploited the metal resources of northern Italy even before the officially noted founding of Rome. Later the Etruscans would appear (ca. 800 BCE), Rome's first great rivals. The Etruscans were a loose confederation of city-states north of Rome who even expanded into Rome and further south, as far as Pompeii. The Etruscans are particularly noted for their magnificent art, in particular the glorious painted tombs of Tarquinia.
29 videos
- Video: 1. Italy before Rome
- Video: 2. Rome before Rome
- Video: 3. The Sepulcretum
- Video: 4. The People of Ancient Italy
- Video: 5. Guest Lecture: Dr. Emma Blake on Bronze Age Italians
- Video: 6. Early Iron Age Chronology
- Video: 1. The Orientalizing Period
- Video: 2. The Etruscans
- Video: 3. Etruscan Origins I
- Video: 4. Etruscan Origins II
- Video: 5. Etruscan Origins III
- Video: 6. Etruscan Society
- Video: 7. Etruscan Artisans
- Video: 8. Tumuli at Cerveteri
- Video: 9. Tombs at Tarquinia
- Video: 10. Life and Death
- Video: 1. Greek Art in Etruria
- Video: 2. The Francois Vase
- Video: 3. Greek Myth in Etruria I
- Video: 4. Greek Myth in Etruria II
- Video: 5. Etruscan Belief
- Video: 6. Tomb of the Infernal Chariot
- Video: 7. The Necropolis at Orvieto I
- Video: 8. The Necropolis at Orvieto II
- Video: 9. Guest Lecture: Dr. Alba Frascarelli on Velzna
- Video: 10. Populonia I
- Video: 11. Populonia II
- Video: 12. The Etruscans in Rome
- Video: 13. The Early Roman Forum
Graded: Quiz One: The Early Romans and Their Ancestors
Graded: Quiz Two: The Etruscans, Part I
Graded: Quiz Three: The Etruscans, Part II
Graded: Essay Question One
WEEK 3
The Roman Republic's Rise and Fall (509 - 31 BCE)
Having thrown off the Etruscans in 509 BCE., Rome emerged as independent Latin community that quickly became known for its disciplined army and militaristic intentions. As the Romans expanded throughout the Mediterranean, it came into contact with various cultures, all who had an influence on the young power, especially Greek culture, art, and architecture. By the end of this period Rome may have grown to a million people. The first century BCE. was a time of amazing development in many fields of artistic endeavor, but it was also a time of civil unrest as soldiers became more loyal to their commanders than to the state. Leaders such as Sulla, Marius, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and others took advantage of this turmoil, which culminated with the powerful influence of the decadent Egyptian charmer Cleopatra and the emergence of Octavian.
23 videos
- Video: 1. The Roman Republic
- Video: 2. Forum Romanum I
- Video: 3. Forum Romanum II
- Video: 4. Forum Romanum III
- Video: 5. Ancient Architectural Orders
- Video: 6. The Doric Order
- Video: 7. The Ionic and Tuscan Orders
- Video: 8. The Capitoline Hill
- Video: 9. The Beginning of Rome's Expansion
- Video: 1. Early Roman Expansion
- Video: 2. Underwater Archaeology
- Video: 3. Republican Art
- Video: 4. Carthage
- Video: 5. "Carthage: A Mosaic of Ancient Tunisia"
- Video: 1. Rome's Revolutionary Century
- Video: 2. The Temple of Fortuna at Praeneste
- Video: 3. The Roman Domus and Theatre
- Video: 4. The Theater of Pompey Today
- Video: 5. Roman Portraiture
- Video: 6. Greek Art in Rome
- Video: 7. Roman Lamps I
- Video: 8. Roman Lamps II
- Video: 9. Roman Glass
Graded: Quiz Four: The Early Republic
Graded: Quiz Five: The Middle Republic
Graded: Quiz Six: The Civil Wars
Graded: Essay Question Two
WEEK 4
Augustus and the Early Roman Empire (31 BCE - 1st century CE)
Augustus - formerly known as Octavian - set the tone for the next major phase of Rome: the Roman empire. His family-related successors, the Julio-Claudians, would continue his rule. Yet none of his successors had the charisma or vision of Augustus himself, and some such as Caligula and Nero have become synonymous with profligacy and decadence of an extreme nature. By the year 69 CE. Rome was in chaos. But the emperor Vespasian restored order and dignity - not to mention humility - to the office, and instituted his own dynasty, the Flavians. Unfortunately, Vespasian's second son, Domitian, brought his Flavian dynasty to an end through dreadful administration. Domitian was murdered in 96 CE.
19 videos, 2 readings
- Video: 1. Augustan Art
- Video: 2. "Forgotten Lives: The Ancient City of Troy"
- Video: 3. Guest Lecture: Dr. David Gilman Romano's Digital Map of Augustan Rome
- Video: 4. Guest Lecture: Dr. Marylin Skinner on Roman Gender and Sexuality
- Video: 5. The Legacy of Augustus
- Video: 1. Art After Augustus: Tiberius and the Julio-Claudians
- Video: 2. Roman Pottery
- Video: 3. The Julio-Claudians after Tiberius: Caligula, Claudius, and Nero
- Reading: Peter Ustinov sings as Nero
- Video: 4. Guest Lecture: Dr. Phillip Waddell on Roman Historiography and Nero
- Video: 5. Nero's Domus Aurea
- Reading: Dr. Soren's Work at Kourion (Coming Soon!)
- Video: 1. The Flavian Emperors: Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian
- Video: 2. The Arch of Titus
- Video: 3. The Eruption of Vesuvius (79 CE)
- Video: 4. Pompeii
- Video: 5. The Pompeian House
- Video: 6. Pompeii in 3D
- Video: 7. The Alexander Mosaic I
- Video: 8. The Alexander Mosaic II
- Video: 9. The End of the Flavians
Graded: Quiz Seven: The Age of Augustus
Graded: Quiz Eight: The Julio-Claudian Emperors
Graded: Quiz Nine: The Flavian Emperors
Graded: Essay Question Three
WEEK 5
Rome at its Zenith (2nd century CE)
Rome is said to have reached its zenith in security and expansion during the period of the "Five Good Emperors" (96 to 180 CE.). The time of Trajan (98 to 117 CE.) was a particular epoch of conquest and building, highlighted by the construction of Trajan's Markets and enormous Forum, the ruins of which still dominate the center of Rome. Trajan's successor, Hadrian, was a horse of a different color. He was himself an architect obsessed with circles, squares, spheres, and cubes. And his fondness for Greek art bordered on manic.
12 videos, 2 readings
- Video: 1. Trajan
- Video: 2. The Imperial Roman Forum
- Video: 3. Trajan's Forum
- Video: 4. Hadrian
- Video: 5. The Pantheon
- Video: 6. Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli
- Video: 1. Antoninus Pius
- Video: 2. The Roman Sarcaphogus
- Video: 3. The Roman Domus in the 2nd Century CE
- Video: 4. Marcus Aurelius and the Beginnings of Crisis I
- Reading: Hollywood's "Gladiator"
- Video: 5. Marcus Aurelius and the Beginnings of Crisis II
- Reading: Richard Harris plays Marcus Aurelius
- Video: 6. The Severans
Graded: Quiz Ten: Nerva, Trajan, and Hadrian
Graded: Quiz Eleven: The Antonine and Severan Emperors
Graded: Essay Question Four
WEEK 6
Crisis and Conclusion (3rd to 7th centuries CE)
What does it mean to talk about the fall of Rome? The far-flung empire collapsed in varying degrees in different places at different times. In the fourth century enormous earthquakes caused such devastation that in the Roman east the whole fabric of ancient religious belief was called into question. In central Italy along the Tiber River an epidemic of malaria, a virulent new-mutated strain from North Africa, left many dead. The legacy of Rome, however, continued into the Carolingian and Byzantine empires. And yet the city of Rome underwent a major revival in the later Middle Ages, continuing through the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Romantic Periods, playing a major role in the foundation of our own country.
23 videos
- Video: 1. The Years of Crisis
- Video: 2. The Baths of Caracalla
- Video: 3. The "Soldier Emperors"
- Video: 4. Ostia, The Port of Rome
- Video: 5. Diocletian
- Video: 6. Roman Sculpture in the 3rd century CE
- Video: 1. Constantine and the Rise of Christianity I
- Video: 2. Constantine and the Rise of Christianity II
- Video: 3. The Arch of Constantine
- Video: 4. Kourion and Seismic Archaeology I
- Video: 5. Kourion and Seismic Archaeology II
- Video: 6. Lugnano and the Fall of Rome I
- Video: 7. Lugnano and the Fall of Rome II
- Video: 8. The Silver Amphora of Baratti I
- Video: 9. The Silver Amphora of Baratti II
- Video: 10. 5th and 6th Century Disruptions
- Video: 11. Climate Change and the Fall of Rome
- Video: 12. Guest Lecture: Dr. Charlotte Pearson on Dendrochronology
- Video: 13. Guest Lecture: Cynthia Hart on Digitally Reconstructing Antiquity
- Video: 14. A Patchwork of Settlements
- Video: 15. The Column of Phocas: The Last Roman Monument
- Video: 1. From Dr. Soren and Lana, "Farewell!"
- Video: 2. "Malaria and the Fall of Rome"
Graded: Quiz Twelve: The Beginning of the End
Graded: Quiz Thirteen: Rome in Late Antiqutity
Graded: Essay Question Five
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Ratings and Reviews
I enjoyed Dr. Soren and Lala, as well as his guest speakers!
This MOOC is much more than the course title suggests. It is a history of Rome from its beginning to its end. It's a good and clear introduction to Roman history. The lectures are very interesting and the assignments helpful.
I am happy this course allowed me to know better this empire the only catch is that there is no transcrption for francophones otherwise there is nothing wrong
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I loved this course so much. I have learned a lot more about the Roman world, it's history and people