Assignment for Monday, 03-02-2015

Dear Readers of Rome

On Monday, we will discuss saintliness and martyrdom, which are very closely linked concepts in Christianity.

Please do the following:

(1) Download, print, and read the fact sheet about hagiography and The Golden Legend. I have also made a timeline laying out some major religious persecutions, which you can download here.

(2) Download, print, and read the essay by Carole Straw, "A Very Special Death,"which instructively sets Christian martyrdom into a Classical context.

(3) Download, print, and read the two versions of the martyrdom of R. Akiva; the notes should help you better understand these rabbinic stories.

(4) Download, print, and read the selections about Agnes, Clement, and Lawrence from The Golden Legend.

gs

Assignment for Friday, 02-27-2015

Dear Readers of Rome,

On Friday, we will learn about Jesus' mother, Mary, a truly important figure in Christian devotion.

Please do the following:

(1) Download, print, and read the fact sheet about Mary, Mother of God.

(2) Download, print, and read the Marian selections from the New Testament.

(3) Download, print, and read the selections from the Proto-Gospel of James.

(4) Download, print, and read the Marian hymns, introduced and translated by Vasiliki Limberis.

As you do these readings, consider how Mary might be compared and contrasted with women we read about in pagan sources, such as Tarpeia or Lucretia.

gs

Assignment for Wednesday, 02-25-2015

Dear Readers of Rome,

On Wednesday, we will have a student-led discussion centered on the figures of Peter and Paul. You should all come bright-eyed and eager to aid your classmates as they conduct a rousing review of this fascinating literature!

Please do the following:

(1) Download, print, and read the fact sheet about the Apostles, Peter and Paul.

(2) Download, print, and read the primary texts, both from the canonical Acts of the Apostles, as well as from the apocryphal Acts.

(3) Download, print, and read the background reading from Bart Ehrman, Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend.

gs

Quizzes for Week 6

Dear Roman Readers,

The last quizzes of Unit 1, due Wednesday evening (February 25), at 11:00 p.m., are now up and running.

Please take the following three quizzes:

• Quiz 10: Basic Roman Infrastructure (19 pts., 3 min.)
• Quiz 11: Fora, Roads, Gates, Water (31 pts., 4 min.)
• Quiz 12: Triumphant You (15 pts., untimed)

Quiz 10, a map quiz, asks you to locate key features of Roman infrastructure. Remember to use the best browser you can, and a large monitor.

Quiz 11, multiple choice, recaps our Blue Guide and Stambaugh readings and PowerPoint lectures on the physical aspects of Rome, from the grandiose to the humble.

Quiz 12 asks you to imagine yourself as a triumphant general parading through Rome, and what memories you will recall on the way. Read the instructions for this one carefully.

https://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/rome/login-only/quizzes/

Good luck!

DC

Assignment for Monday, 02-23-2015

Dear Readers of Rome,

I know we covered a lot of material today, but please do not worry, we will be reviewing the most important points as we move forward. To this end, you should read over the timeline, available here, on your own, in order to reenforce what I said today about the Jewish revolts against Rome and the Hurban (Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem), as well as to note a couple of other things that I had to skip over.

For Monday, we turn to portions of the Bible written in Greek, which form the Christian New Testament.  Even though the stories are still set a good distance from our City, they are limned by Roman imperial power.  As the basis for Christian faith and practice, these texts become as important as any document we will read the entire semester for understanding the long history of Rome, so do give them careful consideration.

Please do the following:

(1) Download, print, and read the fact sheet about the New Testament.

(2) Download, print, and read the selections from the Gospels.

(3) Download, print, and read the rabbinic texts pertaining to the Second Great Revolt and the Coming of the Messiah.

In class, we will focus squarely on the figure of Jesus, but we will look briefly at some rabbinic texts in order to underscore how messianism continues to be a Jewish, and not only a Christian, concern, and to consider how messianic fervor plays a role in subsequent Jewish revolts against Rome.

gs

Roman Infrastructure

Dear Readers of Rome,

I finished today's Roman Infrastructure presentation. It differs from what you saw today in the following respects:

• new information on the Roman triumph, including a stage-by-stage recreation of the triumphal route; and
• a complete section on Roman aqueducts, including the three we identified in class as the ones to know.

Please take the time to review this presentation, since it will form the basis for next week's quizzes. I've tweaked the design and information to make it easy to read and follow.

And now for something completely different (that scene from Monty Python's The Life of Brian (1979):

DC

Assignment for Friday, 02-20-2015

Dear Readers of Rome,

On Friday, we start our next section (cue fanfare): Messiahs, Martyrs, and Saints. We will begin with a class on Ancient Judaism, before proceeding on to an assortment of early Christian materials, tastefully complimented by a few rabbinic counterpoints.

Please do the following:

(1) Download, print, and read the fact sheet on the Hebrew Bible.

(2) Download, print, and read the selections from the Hebrew Bible.

(3) Download, print, and read the excerpt from Louis Feldman, Jew and Gentile in the Ancient World.

In class, I will be distributing a timeline of Ancient Judaism. You can also download it here.

gs

Assignment for Wednesday, 02-18-15

Dear Roman Readers,

For Wednesday, February 18, please do the following:

(1) Download, print, and read these portions of Stambaugh's, Ancient Roman City:

• Chapter 8: "Services, Public and Private"; and
• Chapter 12: "Social Life in the City" (pp. 201–6 only, on baths). 

(2) Read the following sections of the Blue Guide:

• The Baths of Caracalla (pp. 249--53; don't neglect the text in boxes); and
• The Via Appia Antica and Catacombs (pp. 505, 508–09 [map], 512–13).

Our focus today will be civic infrastructure, with emphasis on the physical (walls, water, roads) as well as the social.

DC

Quizzes for Week 5

Dear Roman Readers,

The quizzes for this coming week, due Wednesday evening (February 18), at 11:00 p.m., are now up and running.

Please take the following three quizzes:

• Quiz 7: Advanced Roman topography (32 pts., 4 min.)
• Quiz 8: Icons of Imperial Rome (31 pts., 4 min.)
• Quiz 9: Imagining Rome (15 pts., untimed)

Quiz 7, multiple-choice, digs into the text portions of the Basic Roman topography page.

Quiz 8, also multiple choice, recaps our Blue Guide readings and PowerPoint lectures. The title indicates that most of the quiz is devoted to Rome under the emperors; but the Theater of Pompey and the Circus Maximus (both of which survived well into the Imperial period) are also covered.

Quiz 9 asks for your thoughts on Ovid, Juvenal, Martial, and the topics of pleasure, sport, and spectacle. Please write at least 8–10 sentences on each question.

https://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/rome/login-only/quizzes/

Good luck!

DC

Assignment for Monday, 02-16-15

Dear Roman Readers,

For Monday, February 16, please do the following:

(1) Read these sections of the Blue Guide:

• Historical Sketch: Barbarian Incursions (p. 15); and
• The Imperial Fora (pp, 117–128: don't neglect the material in boxes).

(2) Download, print, and read "Becoming a God," chapter 9 of Valerie Warrior's 2006 book, Roman Religion. Warrior discusses Julius Caesar and Augustus as prototypes for what became the standard practice of deifying emperors after their death.

Monday's class will be devoted to the impact of the emperors on Rome's landscape and religion.

DC

Assignment for Friday, 02-13-15

Dear Roman Readers,

For Friday, February 13, please do the following:

(1) Visit and read the Travel writing page of our website and familiarize yourself with the details and dates. Please note any questions and come to class prepared to ask them.

(2) Download, print, and read the folowing:

• the factsheet on the poet Juvenal;
• Juvenal's third satire on the squalor of Rome;
• the factsheet on the poet Martial;
• selections from Martial's epigrams, books 1–6; and
• selections from Martial's epigrams, books 7–12 and the Liber de Spectaculis.

A reminder that we'll kick off our student-led discussions with Team A.

DC

Assignment for Wednesday, 02-11-15

Dear Readers of Rome,

For Wednesday, February 11, please do the following:

(1) Visit and read the Site reports page of our website and familiarize yourself with the details and dates. Please note any questions and come to class prepared to ask them.

(2) To prepare for our class on pleasure, sport, and spectacle, please read the following sections in the Blue Guide:

• Colosseum (pp. 105–9);
• Crypta Balbi (pp. 137–9);
• Stadium of Domitian/Piazza Navona (pp. 177–8);
• Theater of Pompey (p. 212);
• Theater of Marcellus (pp. 233–4);
• Circus Maximus (p. 248); and
• Circus of Nero (p. 413, second paragraph: "In the middle of the piazza...").

(3) Using your Streetwise Rome Map or the maps in the back of the Guide, try to pinpoint all of these locations.

If you missed class and didn't get the handout of important ancient Roman dates, download it here.

DC

Quizzes for Week 4

Dear Roman Readers,

The quizzes for this week, due Wednesday evening (February 11), at 11:00 p.m., are now up and running.

Please take the following three quizzes:

• Quiz 1: Basic Roman topography (17 pts., timer now at 2.5 minutes)
• Quiz 5: Ancient Roman city (26 pts., 4 min.)
• Quiz 6: Forum Romanum (16 pts., 3 min.)

Quiz 4 is a multiple-choice roundup of our readings in Stambaugh's Ancient Roman City.

Quiz 5 is a multiple choice recap of the Forum Romanum. Some of the material we covered in class; for other material you'll need to read the Blue Guide closely.

Please read all of the instructions and note the recommended preparations for each quiz. Remember, it is legitimate to load a quiz just to look at the questions -- as long as you don't hit Submit.

Finally, remember that each quiz is meant to be taken once and only once.

https://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/rome/login-only/quizzes/

Good luck!

DC

Assignment for Monday, 02-09-15

Dear Roman Readers,

For Monday, February 9, please do the following:

(1) Download, print, and read the factsheet on the poet Ovid.

(2) Download, print, and read the selections from the Art of Love (book 1), the poem that got Ovid in trouble with Augustus.

(3) Download, print, and read the selections from Sorrows, one of Ovid's two collections of poetry written in his permanent exile from Rome.

Ovid is an Augustan poet to the extreme, writing in an age when the pax Augusta had already taken hold. We'll consider how his poetry represents ideals of that peace, and how he situates himself within his own city imaginary.

DC

Assignment for Friday, 02-06-15

Dear Roman Readers,

For Friday, February 6, please do the following:

(1) Visit and read the Discussions page of our website and familiarize yourself with the details and dates. (NOTE: We've moved Team E to Friday, April 10.) Please note any questions and come to class prepared to ask them.

(2) Read the following sections in the Blue Guide:

• Historical Sketch: The Early Empire (pp. 14–15);
• The Ara Pacis (pp. 160–2);
• Piazza Augusto Imperatore (p. 162); and
• The Pantheon (pp. 163–6).

As you might suspect, we're moving into the age of the first emperor, Augustus, and beyond. We'll start with a bit of history, especially the transition from the Republic to the Empire, then move on to Augustus and his impressive building program.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Dates for the Discussions exercise are on the course Calendar. Also, Prof. Spinner has graciously made room in Unit 2 to make up for the snowpocalypse of Monday, for which I am grateful. This means that Unit 2 now starts a day later, on Feb. 20.

We hope to see you for Gladiator tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.

DC

Assignment for Wednesday, 02-04-15

Dear Roman Readers,

For Wednesday, February 4, please do the following:

(1) Do all of the readings assigned for Monday, but --

(2) Instead of simply noting your three choices re. the Forum Romanum, please email them to me before class (by 11:00 p.m. Tuesday evening). In addition to the names of three structures/places in the forum, please give me two sentences on each: why you chose it, and what surprising thing you learned about it in the Blue Guide.

DC

Reading Rome Film Series

Dear Roman Readers,

As we noted at the very beginning of term, Prof. Spinner and I have put together a small series on cinematic Rome. We'll show five films on Thursday evenings throughout the semester.

Here's the list

• Feb. 5: Gladiator (2000. Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix. Dir. Ridley Scott. 155 min.)

• Feb. 19: Agora (2009. Starring Rachel Weisz. Dir. Alejandro Amenábar. 127 min.)

• Mar. 26: La Dolce Vita (1960. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg. Dir. Federico Fellini. 174 min.)

• Apr. 9: Roman Holiday (1953. Starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck. Dir. William Wyler. 118 min.)

• Apr. 23: La Grande Bellezza (2013. Starring Toni Servillo. Dir. Paolo Sorrentino. 142 min.)

We envision the series as a way of helping us to visualize the city and to appreciate the way it has been represented on the big screen -- and to have a little fun. Attendance is not mandatory, but we hope you'll join us if you can.

All screenings will be held in Ladd 206* at 7:00 p.m., and they'll conclude when the credits roll. We probably won't be able to resist making a few introductory remarks, but we promise to keep them to a minimum.

We'll see you at the movies.

DC/GS

*PS: Yes, we know about the cushy viewing room in the Library. If it were available, we would hold our screenings there.

Quizzes for Week 3

Dear Roman Readers,

The quizzes for this week, due Wednesday evening (February 4), at 11:00 p.m., are now up and running.

Please take the following three quizzes:

• Quiz 2: Hills of Rome (a two-parter: follow the instructions to the letter) (20 pts., 3 min.)
• Quiz 3: Rome of the Kings (17 pts., 3 min.)
• Quiz 4: Founding Rome (15 pts., untimed)

As I said yesterday by email, quiz 4 is a thoughtful short answer quiz: I do not recommend that you wait until Wednesday to get started. The others will probably take you less time.

Please read all of the instructions and note the recommended preparations for each quiz. Remember, it is legitimate to load a quiz just to look at the questions -- as long as you don't hit Submit.

Technical note: For reasons I don't fully understand, hitting "Refresh" on some pages will cause the module to crash. I'm working on that. In the meantime, use the menus to navigate around or close your quiz windows manually. (If the module crashes, just close out and pick up where you left off.)

https://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/rome/login-only/quizzes/

Good luck, and please report any major problems to me.

DC