FIRST PAPER ASSIGNMENT
The purpose
of this assignment is to encourage a close reading of the primary texts from
the first weeks of the course, and an understanding of on central concepts
presented by ancient
Roman historians and writers. You may choose one of the following themes for
your paper:
1) the founding and refoundings of the city of Rome; or
2) the struggle of virtue and vice in historians' presentation of the city's
past.
Once you
choose a topic, go back over the readings and select specific episodes
that illustrate your theme. Then you need to make an argument about these
texts, and support
that argument with references and quotations from texts or lectures. You
should include well chosen
quotations, but don't make your essay into a string of quotations. Rather
quotations should be
subordinated to your own statements, and should illustrate a point you are
making.
Avoid unsubstantiated generalizations and try to be persuasive in your
argument.
Your
essay should be 4-5 pages, typed and double spaced.
Instructions on format and citation will be posted separately on course
website.
Assistance
with papers is available from your Teaching Assistant, the Professors
or the Odegaard Research and Writing Center in the Undergraduate Library.
Please feel free to contact any of us by e-mail and at our office hours. We
would like to meet
you and can also meet at other times when needed.
The mythical
origins of Rome became a central focus of literary, artistic and historical
attention during the
age of Augustus. Among the multiple founders of the city, writers
stressed the role of mythical figures like
Aeneas and Romulus, as well as personalities such as Lucius Junius Brutus,
Lucretia and Augustus
himself .
Drawing on your readings of Livy and Virgil, compare and contrast their
versions of the legendary foundings
of Rome. Which aspects of the ancient stories does each writer emphasize,
and what is the political message
conveyed?
Optional:
You may also include some discussion of Augustus’ program for rebuilding and
reforming Rome,
drawing on his Res Gestae and on the Art History and History readings on
Augustus.
Ancient historians
such as Livy and Tacitusreconstructed the history of Rome using historical
characters as moral exempla, or examples intended to teach a lesson.
Romans had a strong sense
of morality, based on the mores maiorum. These
"customs of the ancestors" were a traditional
guide to correct behavior in personal and political life, and including strict
gender roles. Women were
supposed to stay in the private sphere, and public life was a male preserve;
blurring of these boundaries or
roles was a sure sign that things were going wrong
In looking back at the past, writers stressed the struggle between virtue and
vice as a key to
understanding Roman history.. Pick two or three of the following, and discuss
how the themes of
virtue and vice are used in these versions of Roman history:
1) Livy’s
view of republican Rome as the epitome of traditional Roman virtues, including
his warnings
about sources of decay (written in the context of Augustus’ moral revival),
2) Tacitus’
depiction of Imperial Rome under Nero as the site of vice and debauchery,
personified by
Nero himself,
3)
Augustus’s efforts to enforce morality in the society as a whole, as described
in his Res Gestae
and reflected his artistic program presenting himself as the refounder of Rome
(Art History readings & lecture).
You may also use the Aeneid as evidence for Augustan values.
Be sure to
present an argument or interpretation based on specific examples from the
texts, including quotations.