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This course will examine the events and literature of the civil war years from the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. to the consolidation of power in the hands of Rome's first emperor, Augustus, in the 20's. We will look both at the struggle for power by Octavian, Marc Antony, and others, and at the response to crisis of the intelligentsia, as a new generation of historians and poets both fled from the real world to the escape of literary pursuits and also grappled with the events of the day through writing and hoped to influence that real world. Primary readings will include late Cicero, Sallust's two historical monographs, and the earlier work of the poets Vergil and Horace and the historian Livy. We will also read a basic survey of Roman history, one classic of modern historiography (Syme's 1939 THE ROMAN REVOLUTION), and a historical novel. The class will begin with background study of Roman history, and throughout the term, readings will be supplemented by occasional minilectures on such topics as minor literary and historical figures, Roman coins and monuments, and political invective.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA CLAS Grading Mode: Student Option
Prerequisites: NONE
Last Updated on MAR-24-2000
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459