Building A Republic
The Romans believed they drove our their kings and established a republic in 509 BCE. They saw their constitutions as evolving through the centuries to empower more and more of the citizen body to participate. Today with consider how a small city drew to control most of Italy and eventually the whole Mediterranean.
Readings
Claridge: Temples (p. 282-288), Centrale Monetemartini (p. 468-469), middle sections of Historical Overview (start at 2nd cent BCE stop at Augustus); supplemental readings on Republican constitution (Polybius, Book 6); Alive!: no. 120; review food and drink and eating out sections of CultureSmart! in chapter 5 and read chapter 4.
Supplemental Materials
Presentation Topics
(a) How has the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) captured modern imaginations and what is the likely truth behind its origins?
(b) Help your classmates imagine the twin temples dedicated to the goddesses Fortuna and Mater Matuta, who these goddesses were and why they mattered.
Logistics
In the morning we take a walking tour of early temples and monuments and have our first student presentations.
Round Temple, Temple of Portunus, S. Omobono, S. Maria in Cosmedin
We break for lunch. You can choose to pack a picnic, go back to your apartment, or try a restaurant on your own or with new friends. After lunch we practice riding public transport independently instead of as a group in order to meet at a new location.
This museum displays antiquities in a fascist era power station!
THemes
How have surviving artifacts been integrated into the lives of later Romans right up to today? What types of stories do we make up about the past? How did the republic at once embrace and reject external influences?
Blog Prompt
What contrasts of new and old did you find aesthetically pleasing? What contrasts of old and new did you find too visually jarring and/or confusing? What did you learn on your own about life in Italy? Perhaps reflect on eating lunch or riding public transportation? Did Culture Smart! Help? What about the apps?
Gallery
Rome via Brooklyn 