The disposal and commemoration of the dead gives us significant insight into a society. This is particularly true of the Romans, who venerated their ancestors and kept images of them in their homes. Funerary monuments were an indicator of wealth, status and aspiration for both elites and freedmen, but slaves are almost entirely excluded from the record - in death as in life. Copyright 2012 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Roman Myth as History (handout)

The Roman World introduces students to the society, literature and art of ancient Rome, through a study of its major historical and literary figures, such as Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Virgil and Ovid. We shall look at Rome’s place in the ancient Mediterranean world, and its connections with ancient Greece and other cultures, such as Egypt and Gaul. Through almost constant warfare, Rome accumulated an enormous Mediterranean empire, and this subject will investigate how this shaped Roman culture, through such topics as the acquisition of slaves and the ability to import luxury objects. We shall also see how the civil conflicts of the first century BCE affected Rome and Roman identity, leading to Caesar, Pompey and others engaging in propaganda wars, as seen through competitive monumental building, and to some self-questioning in the literature of the period. Towards the end of the semester, we shall look at Rome’s lasting influence, and the way that we continue to represent Rome in book and film.