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by Dr Rhiannon Evans
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- Oct 30, 201348 min
Empire and Symbol
Ancient Rome and its culture still exerts an enormous influence on modern culture, particularly in the west. Through media such as film, literature, art, architecture, law codes and political institutions we are still influenced by Rome and we continue to reuse and reinvent Roman forms.This lecture considers some of the ideas which are transmitted when we tell narratives of Rome (for example in the films Gladiator or The Life of Brian) or make reference to ancient Rome in buildings, paintings and even in the classroom. While Rome is still alive for us, we can see that each historical era has reconfigured ancient culture to suit its own ends and remade Rome in its own image. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
- Oct 30, 2013
Empire and Symbol (handout)
Ancient Rome and its culture still exerts an enormous influence on modern culture, particularly in the west. Through media such as film, literature, art, architecture, law codes and political institutions we are still influenced by Rome and we continue to reuse and reinvent Roman forms.This lecture considers some of the ideas which are transmitted when we tell narratives of Rome (for example in the films Gladiator or The Life of Brian) or make reference to ancient Rome in buildings, paintings and even in the classroom. While Rome is still alive for us, we can see that each historical era has reconfigured ancient culture to suit its own ends and remade Rome in its own image. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
- Oct 30, 201351 min
Pompeii
Buried under the ash from the cataclysmic eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in AD 79, Pompeii and other sites around the Bay of Naples provide extraordinary insights into a Roman town –not just what it looked liked, but how it functioned also. This lecture looks at some of the main public buildings of Pompeii, and especially the development of Pompeii immediately after it was made a Roman colony, and then later in the early Imperial period. What emerges is the role of architecture and other urban adorment in the promotion of individual careers in Pompeii – also reflected in the homes of Pompeiians. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
- Oct 30, 2013
Pompeii (handout)
Buried under the ash from the cataclysmic eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in AD 79, Pompeii and other sites around the Bay of Naples provide extraordinary insights into a Roman town –not just what it looked liked, but how it functioned also. This lecture looks at some of the main public buildings of Pompeii, and especially the development of Pompeii immediately after it was made a Roman colony, and then later in the early Imperial period. What emerges is the role of architecture and other urban adorment in the promotion of individual careers in Pompeii – also reflected in the homes of Pompeiians. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
- Oct 30, 201355 min
Roman Spectacle
Amphitheatres are notorious as the places where the Romans held their more gruesome forms of "entertainment", including gladiatorial fights, executions of condemned prisoners, and wild beast hunts. As such displays grew more complicated and imaginative in their staging and special effects, so too did the design of the amphitheatres in order to accommodate elaborate performances and the Colosseum in Rome represents the culmination of this architectural development. However, Roman amphitheatres were not just about entertaining the masses: the structures and the events held in them were tightly linked to Roman society and especially to the careers of prominent Romans, who used this form of entertainment as a way to claw their way up the political ladder - and to stay there. This lecture also deals with the wildly popular horse and chariot racing in the circus, a form of entertainment even more closely tied to political factionalism and with huge popular appeal. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
- Oct 30, 2013
Roman Spectacle (handout)
Amphitheatres are notorious as the places where the Romans held their more gruesome forms of "entertainment", including gladiatorial fights, executions of condemned prisoners, and wild beast hunts. As such displays grew more complicated and imaginative in their staging and special effects, so too did the design of the amphitheatres in order to accommodate elaborate performances and the Colosseum in Rome represents the culmination of this architectural development. However, Roman amphitheatres were not just about entertaining the masses: the structures and the events held in them were tightly linked to Roman society and especially to the careers of prominent Romans, who used this form of entertainment as a way to claw their way up the political ladder - and to stay there. This lecture also deals with the wildly popular horse and chariot racing in the circus, a form of entertainment even more closely tied to political factionalism and with huge popular appeal. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
- Oct 15, 201349 min
Flavian Rome
After Nero's suicide in 68 CE Rome was plunged into civil war again, as successive military commanders were declared emperor. The victor was Flavius Vespasian, who managed to found a new (Flavian) dynasty. Vespasian oversaw the building of the Colosseum, and both he and his son, Titus, remained popular. However, the third Flavian, Domitian, is depicted as one of the most sinister, paranoid and tyrannical of all Roman emperors, and his murder in 96 brought an end to Rome's second dynasty. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
- Oct 15, 2013
Flavian Rome (handout)
After Nero's suicide in 68 CE Rome was plunged into civil war again, as successive military commanders were declared emperor. The victor was Flavius Vespasian, who managed to found a new (Flavian) dynasty. Vespasian oversaw the building of the Colosseum, and both he and his son, Titus, remained popular. However, the third Flavian, Domitian, is depicted as one of the most sinister, paranoid and tyrannical of all Roman emperors, and his murder in 96 brought an end to Rome's second dynasty. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
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About The Roman World
The Roman World introduces students to the society, literature and art of ancient Rome, through a study of its major historical and literary figures, such as Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Virgil and Ovid. We shall look at Rome’s place in the ancient Mediterranean world, and its connections with ancient Greece and other cultures, such as Egypt and Gaul. Through almost constant warfare, Rome accumulated an enormous Mediterranean empire, and this subject will investigate how this shaped Roman culture, through such topics as the acquisition of slaves and the ability to import luxury objects. We shall also see how the civil conflicts of the first century BCE affected Rome and Roman identity, leading to Caesar, Pompey and others engaging in propaganda wars, as seen through competitive monumental building, and to some self-questioning in the literature of the period. Towards the end of the semester, we shall look at Rome’s lasting influence, and the way that we continue to represent Rome in
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