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Modules

Ancient Sources (Written Evidence): Roman Historical Writing (CLA1303)

15 credits

The Roman writers Livy, Sallust and Tacitus created some of the most impressive literary masterpieces that survive from antiquity, and they also constitute our main historical sources for Roman history from its mythical origins, through the rise and fall of the Republic, to the height of the empire at the end of the first century AD; their works are a must-read for all students of the ancient world. All three lived and wrote during periods of political crisis and upheaval, and their works are powered by ideology, and a sense of the urgent need to understand the past in order to cope with the present. In this module you will dip in and out of this written record, zooming in on a selection of passages that showcase momentous events, crucial historical debates or literary brilliance.