AP/HIST 3131 6.00

Rome And Empire: War To Pax Romana

At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from the snows of Scotland to the sands of Egypt. A population of around sixty million people lived and died within its frontiers. It endured for hundreds of years, with few serious challenges. It was, in short, a stunning phenomenon that demands explanation. In this course, we shall attempt to understand it. We shall begin by examining how and why the Romans acquired their Empire in the first place, starting with their conquest and organization of Italy, and then looking at the same process in more distant lands. We shall also examine how the Romans rationalized the violence and domination that Empire entailed. In the later part of the course, attention will be given to how Rome governed the Empire and dealt with threats to its rule. Finally, we look at how Roman rule changed the cultures of the Italy and the provinces - and how they changed the culture of Rome itself.