An advanced investigation into the relationship between contemporary perspectives on the end of the Roman Empire and the archaeological and historical sources.
The Fall of the Roman Empire is considered to be a watershed moment in Western history,
marking an important conceptual division between the classical Mediterranean world
and Medieval Europe. In fact, The Fall of Rome was not a single event, nor has anyone
yet identified a single root cause for the Empire's demise. Instead, this was a drawn
out process that spanned several centuries, across a period characterised by a long
list of fascinating developments: the rise of Christianity, barbarian invasions, rampant
corruption in the aristocratic classes, uncertainty in the imperial succession, an
increasingly unstable financial system, the unpredictable actions of the Roman armies
and the often seditious activities of ambitious military commanders.
In this
paper, we will explore the actual changes that took place in this dynamic period,
which spans from circa 200 to 500 CE. Our analysis will rely on both the ancient written
sources and on contemporary archaeological evidence as we reconstruct the effects
of the Empire's fall on everyday life. Ongoing archaeological work in some of the
important cities of the post-Roman Mediterranean allows us to develop a state-of-the-field
perspective on the fall of the western Roman Empire and its impact on the people who
lived in that world.
| Paper title | Archaeology, History and the End of Rome |
|---|---|
| Paper code | CLAS443 |
| Subject | Classical Studies |
| EFTS | 0.1667 |
| Points | 20 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $1,206.91 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 72 300-level CLAS, GREK or LATN points
- Restriction
- CLAS 343
- Contact
- classics@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
- Teaching staff
- Dr Dan Osland
- Paper Structure
Dr Dan Osland will provide two 50-minute lectures per week, guiding participants through the archaeological and historical evidence related to the late Roman world and the collapse of the western Roman empire. Participants are encouraged to take active part in evaluating the sources and drawing conclusions from the available evidence. Bi-weekly tutorial sessions will be used to allow the participants to further develop and present their own ideas about dealing with the ancient evidence and interacting with contemporary scholarship in the field.
Internal Assessment 70%
- Textbooks
Required:
The Fall of the Western Roman Empire: An Archaeological and Historical Perspective. N. Christie. 2011. Bloomsbury.
Recommended:
The Decline and Fall of the Roman City. W. Liebeschuetz. 2001. Oxford.
Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West, 376 - 568. Guy Halsall. 2007. Cambridge.- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper will have:
- An understanding of the historical context of the period that incorporated the fall of the Roman Empire
- An understanding of the key factors that contributed to Rome's fall
- A familiarity with the archaeological record from this period
- The ability to evaluate the available archaeological evidence and written sources (ancient and modern) on this complex period of European history
- The skills of effective oral communication, including the ability to present formal reports and to draw reasoned hypotheses from the archaeological evidence
- The skills of effective written communication, including the construction of clear and logical scholarly argument
