How do you imagine Roman Antiquity? How do the images produced for film, TV and popular fiction reflect the lives of those in antiquity? Can we see the everyday experience of Pliny, Juvenal or Augustine or of those who were killed in the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79? This module will explore everyday life in the Roman world, from haircuts, tattoos and gestures, to everyday rites and rhythms, whether domestic, social, political or religious, focusing on human experience, with its culturally specific organisation rather than abstract scholarly constructions. It will range from Augustan Rome to Late Antique Constantinople, and will draw on depictions, literary evidence (such as poems), original documents (from personal letters to minutes of meetings), inscriptions and especially archaeology, focusing on key sites where preservation is good, such as Pompeii, Ostia, Sardis and Petra. Here buildings, graffiti, occupation deposits and other traces will allow snapshots of everyday life to be constructed: of the houses, workshops, taverns, temples, theatres and churches of Antiquity. Students will be encouraged to undertake both empirical studies and imaginative reconstructions as part of their assessment, so that they understand the importance not only of describing what evidence remains of everyday life, but of actively reconstructing the past, and of engaging different types of evidence in a critical dialogue.
Total Contact Hours: 40
Private Study Hours: 260
Total Study Hours: 300
Also available at Level 5 under code CL6740
Main assessment methods
Essay 1 (1,700 words) – 20%
Essay 2 (2,300 words) – 30%
Historical Reconstruction (3,000 words) – 40%
2 x Seminar Handout (equivalent to 500 words each) – 10%
Reassessment Instrument:
100% Coursework
The University is committed to ensuring that core reading materials are in accessible electronic format in line with the Kent Inclusive Practices.
The most up to date reading list for each module can be found on the university's reading list pages: https://kent.rl.talis.com/index.html
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module, Level 6 students will be able to:
1 Demonstrate systematic knowledge of the distinctive character of Roman society, at the level of everyday experience, as it was conceived by the Romans;
2 Demonstrate extensive knowledge of the different everyday experiences of people with different socio-cultural status;
3 Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the biases in the use of archaeological and written sources in this period;
4 Demonstrate systematic understanding of the potential of engagement with historical reconstruction, not only as a guarantee of authenticity, but also as a means of testing academic hypotheses, as well as demonstrating awareness of the limitations of reconstruction authenticity.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module, Level 6 students will be able to:
1 Analyse, evaluate and interpret a variety of types of evidence in an independent and critical manner drawing on a full range of textual, archaeological, iconographic and artefactual sources;
2 Select, gather and synthesise relevant information from a wide variety of sources to gain a coherent understanding;
3 Apply methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding;
4 Demonstrate an understanding of the ambiguity and limits of existing knowledge and pose suitable questions as to how to overcome those issues;
5 Marshal argument lucidly and communicate interpretations using the appropriate academic conventions. h historical reconstruction, not only as a guarantee of authenticity, but also as a means of testing academic hypotheses, as well as demonstrating awareness of the limitations of reconstruction authenticity.
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