This course introduces the principate of Augustus (27 BCE - 14 CE) as a pivotal moment in the political and cultural history of Rome and its subsequent influence.

20x1 hours of lectures, 10x1hours of seminar

CLASSIC1012

None

Guided commentary (1,500 words) - 30%

Essay (2,000 words) - 70%

This course aims to:

■ Understand the creation and design of the Principate in the context of the late Republic, its experiments in one-man rule, and the Civil Wars;

■ Explore the literature and art of the Augustan period, above all Virgil's Aeneid, with particular attention to their cultural and political backgrounds.

■ Understand the development of the Principate over the course of Augustus' reign.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Analyse the establishment and development of the Principate over the course of Augustus reign;

■ Analyse the Principate in relation to the preceding Republican period and its collapse into civil wars during the first century BCE;

■ Identify and analyse key texts and artefacts;

■ Place primary source material into its political, intellectual, and cultural contexts;

■ Critique engage with relevant secondary literature.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.