ROMAN HISTORY AND HISTORIOGRAPHY

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

FLT060

Academic Year of enrolment:

2023

Year of supply:

2023/2024

Type of Course:

Characterising

Degree:

Course of 2nd Cycle Degree in PHILOLOGY, LINGUISTICS AND LITERARY TRADITIONS

Disciplinary Sector:

ROMAN HISTORY

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

FILIPPINI ALISTER

Cycle:

First semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

108

Prerequisites:

Students are supposed to have already taken the exam of Roman History (Bachelor Degree Course).
Otherwise they are kindly requested to:
1) study a handbook of Roman History (mandatory):
AA.VV. (coordinamento di M. MAZZA), Storia di Roma dalle origini alla Tarda Antichità, Catania, Edizioni del Prisma, 2014 (and following reprints), the whole book (pp. 9-469).
2) contact Dr. Filippini, long before taking the exam, in order to fix the program in advance, beyond any doubt: alister.filippini@unich.it

The knowledge of ancient languages, Latin and Greek, is quite useful (yet not mandatory).

Objectives

This class aims to supply students with the basics and method necessary for acquisition of the skills of analysis and reflection on the tradition concerning the Roman imperial government facing the expansion of Christianity. The fundamental aim is to focus on dynamics, contradictions and reference contexts, and to possess adequate communicative resources on historical dynamics analogous to those in question.

This class contributes to the achievement of the learning objectives of the Master Degree Course of Beni Archeologici e Storico-Artistici, aiming to consolidate and broaden the knowledge and philological / technical methodologies acquired over the three years, with view to either proceeding towards a research Doctorate or finding work with public/private research and cultural institutes or cultural and academic foundations.

Contents

Title: “The Emperors, the Christians and the Apologists (1st-2nd cent. AD)”.
This class focuses on the problematic relations between the Roman imperial authority, the Christian communities and their apologists between the age of Tiberius and that of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus (14-192 AD). Ancient sources of different kinds (literary, epigraphic, papyrological, numismatic, archaeological) will be analysed and discussed.

Extended Syllabus

This class focuses on the problematic relations between the Roman imperial authority, the Christian communities and their apologists between the age of Tiberius and that of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus (14-192 AD). Ancient sources of different kinds will be analysed and discussed:
a) literary sources (New Testament, Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, Cassius Dio, Historia Augusta; Eusebius, Christian apologists etc.);
b) “non literary” sources, that is epigraphic (Latin and Greek inscriptions), papyrological (Egyptian papyri), numismatic (coins) and archaeological sources.

Recommended Bibliography

A. Texts and teaching documents which are mandatory for ALL STUDENTS (attending / non-attending):

1) slides of class lectures, including ancient sources, will be downloadable as files.PDF from the website DiLASS, page Materiale didattico: https://www.dilass.unich.it/node/6865

2) G. JOSSA, I cristiani e l'Impero romano. Da Tiberio a Marco Aurelio, Roma, Carocci, 2000, the whole book (pp. 1-204); this book is available in the Biblioteca "E. Paratore", Polo Bibliotecario di Chieti.
Foreign students may change this book with M. SORDI, The Christians and the Roman Empire, University of Oklahoma Press, 1994 (and following reprints), the whole book (pp. 1-222).

3) S. MAZZARINO, L'Impero romano, vol. 1, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1984 (and following reprints), the whole book (pp. 1-430).
Foreign students may change this book with S. MAZZARINO, The End of the Ancient World, New York-London, 1966 (and following reprints), the whole book (pp. 1-210).

4) article (English) by C.P. JONES, Christian Apologists and the Antonine Emperors, ARYS 16, 2018, 333-345 (downloadable as files.PDF).

B. Additional text, which is mandatory just for NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:
5) M. SORDI, I cristiani e l'Impero romano, Milano, Jaca Book, 2017 (reprint 2020), the whole book (pp. 1-238).

Attention: NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS are kindly requested to contact Dr. Filippini, before taking the exam, in order to fix the program in advance, beyond any doubt: alister.filippini@unich.it

Teaching Methods

Lectures, guided reading of texts and multimedia resources. The teaching documents shown and discussed in class will be downloadable (texts and slides, as files.PDF) from the website DiLASS, page Materiale didattico: https://www.dilass.unich.it/node/6865
42 hours of class lectures; conferences and seminars will be organized throughout the semester. It is recommended that students regularly attend lesson.
Non-attending students are gently requested to contact Dr. Filippini before taking the exam: alister.filippini@unich.it
The teacher is available to give assistance in English for foreign students.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

The final assessment consists of an oral exam on the entire syllabus (texts, lessons, sources, teaching materials). The aim is to assess students’ skills and in particular, an understanding of the issues discussed during the course, an appropriate knowledge of the bibliography in the course programme, a correct command of the specific language as well as critical and methodological abilities will be evaluated. The grading scale goes from 1 to 30 with honours (cum laude): 1-17 fail, 18-21 sufficient, 22-24 fair, 25-27 good, 28-29 very good, 30-30 with honours (cum laude) excellent.

Contacts/More Information

Attention: NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS are kindly requested to contact Dr. Filippini, before taking the exam, in order to fix the program in advance, beyond any doubt: alister.filippini@unich.it
The teacher is available to give assistance in English for foreign students.

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Aree