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| Semester | fall semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | François Gerardin (francois.gerardin@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | “Captured Greece captured her wild conqueror”—so did Horace famously describe the paradoxical success of Roman imperialism in the eastern Mediterranean. Rising from a small city-state in the Latium to a world empire, Rome was from the very beginning confronted, and shaped by, Greek culture. Romans’ responses to this multi-faceted encounter were complex, oscillating between admiration and repulse. In this class, students will explore this foundational relationship from a global perspective, taking into account a multiplicity of historical factors, from the mundane realities of the economy to the lofty inventions of poets and philosophers. The course will first follow a chronological arc and then become more thematic. Three themes will drive our conversation: imperialism, cultural appropriation, and inequalities—concerns which resonate with our contemporary experience of globalization. |
| Learning objectives | Students who take this class will learn to analyze a wide array of primary sources (historiography, inscriptions and papyri, coins, archaeology) and ask relevant questions about economic, cultural, and political change in the ancient Mediterranean. |
| Bibliography | Chaniotis, Angelos (2018), Age of Conquests (Cambridge, MA), also available in German under the title: Die Öffnung der Welt: Eine Globalgeschichte des Hellenismus, Darmstadt. Derow, Peter (2015), Rome, Polybius, and the East (Oxford). Gruen, Erich (1984), The Hellenistic World and the Coming of Rome, 2 vols. (Berkeley, CA and London). Loar, Matthew et al. eds. (2018), Rome, Empire of Plunder: the Dynamics of Cultural Appropriation (Cambridge). Prag, Jonathan et al. eds. (2013), The Hellenistic West: Rethinking the Ancient Mediterranean (Cambridge). Primary Sources: Polybius, Histories (in translation) and Bagnall, Roger and Peter Derow (2004), The Hellenistic Period: Historical Documents in Translation, new ed. (Oxford). |
| Comments | The primary language of instruction will be English but German is allowed for written assignments and private communication with the instructor. |
| Admission requirements | Intellectual curiosity and a desire to engage with complex historical questions. A course policy regarding attendance will be communicated at the beginning of class. |
| Course application | Die Teilnahme ist auf 20 Personen beschränkt. Anmeldung bitte direkt per Email beim Dozenten. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Areas: Westeuropa (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Aufbau Alte Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: History) Modul: Epochen der europäischen Geschichte: Alte Geschichte (Master's degree program: European History (Start of studies before 01.08.2018)) Modul: Epochen der europäischen Geschichte: Alte Geschichte (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Europäisierung und Globalisierung (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Modul: Griechische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Griechische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Griechische Geschichte MA (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Modul: Römische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Römische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Römische Geschichte MA (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Modul: Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Vertiefung in Alter Geschichte (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Wahlbereich Master Geschichte: Empfehlungen (Master's degree subject: History) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Alte Geschichte |