This subject deals with the cultural history of ancient Rome - its literature, its mythology, its art and architecture, and its political and civil institutions. The period covered will be the mid republic into the early empire (including the periods of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar). The subject will explore the military and social turmoil associated with civil war, the political use of mythology and literature by Roman writers like Vergil, Ovid and Livy, the great building programs of the period, and the artistic triumphs and conventions in the Roman world. During this period, Rome develops into a powerful empire and a multicultural society, and we shall explore the way that Rome interacts with Greek and other Mediterranean civilisations, combining key elements, such as Homeric epic and Athenian art and literature, with native Italian culture, to define and redefine Roman identity.

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Readings