The Ancient World: Rome
Rome's history unfolds from its legendary founding to the 5th century AD, taught through MIT OpenCourseWare's course materials with a heavy emphasis on primary sources in translation. The first half traces the shift from kingship to republic, the conquest of Italy, Pyrrhus and the Punic Wars, the acquisition of overseas provinces, and the social and political upheavals that produced Augustus and the empire. The second half runs from Virgil's poetry to the Vandal invasions, covering major economic, social, political, and religious currents both at Rome and across the provinces. Materials include the syllabus, readings drawn from ancient authors, and assignments used in MIT's classroom version of the course. The approach favors close reading of ancient texts over textbook summary, letting students weigh how Romans themselves described their own institutions, wars, and crises.