CLAS2262 · Classical Studies

The City of Rome

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

What was a normal day like for ancient Romans? What did they see, hear, and do while going about their lives? How did those things change as Rome shifted from a Republic to an Empire and as their city became caput mundi ("Head of the World")? In this course we will reconstruct the lived experiences of Romans by examining Rome's urban spaces through art, architecture, artifacts, and texts. Along the way, we will explore: public buildings, mundane and monumental; recreation (baths, theaters, arenas); civic infrastructure (aqueducts, sewers, roads); economy and commerce (shopping, harbors, slavery); gender and sexuality (domestic spaces, brothels); religion (temples, sacrifices, funerals); and other topics as appropriate.