CLAS 295 - Topics in Classical Civilization

Credits: 3 credits in Fall or Winter; 4 credits in Spring

Selected subject areas in classical civilization. The topic selected varies from year to year. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

Fall 2019, CLAS 295A-01: The Roman Empire and Its Peoples (3). Meets requirements in the History major. The ranks of Roman society below the elite were occupied by numerous social groups which we might identify as marginal. Although often overlooked in our literary sources, the behaviors and experiences of ordinary men and women, slaves and ex-slaves, and freeborn foreigners from the provinces are essential for understanding the inner workings of Roman social hierarchies and the economy. This course examines how such groups made their way in the Roman world by operating within existing institutions or by forging new avenues for civic engagement and upward social mobility. In order to access their voices, we must look to their depictions in the world of Roman comedy and novels, the art and material culture they produced, and the most important body of evidence available to grasp the lives of ancient Romans, their personal inscriptions. (HU) Easton.