Module overview
What was life like for a generation left behind by the changing cultural tides during the last decades of the Roman empire? With the death of Julian in 363CE, paganism was never again endorsed by a Roman emperor; moreover, it was tainted by association with Julian’s military failure against the Persians. In the second part of this Special Subject, we will study the last generation of elite pagans (c.350-400CE), who had been contemporaries of Julian but lived well beyond his early death, and in a world that saw the steady establishment of Christianity and imposition of legal restrictions on paganism by the end of the fourth century.
Four pagan figures have left us extensive collections of their texts: Themistius, a politician and philosopher who was responsible for expanding the new senate in the (largely Christian) eastern capital of Constantinople; Libanius, a professor in the Syrian city of Antioch, who found himself in close proximity to several of Julian’s successors; Symmachus, a prominent politician and aristocrat in Rome; and Ausonius, a poet from Gaul (modern France), who became tutor to the child emperor Gratian. Using these four individuals and their letters, speeches, and other writings, we will investigate the education, careers, lifestyle, social networks, and religious inclinations of the final pagan generation, in both the East and the West of the Roman Empire during its last century as a political unity.
We will engage with a number of modern debates, asking whether it is correct to talk of a ‘conflict’ between Paganism and Christianity in this period; how both pagans and Christians claimed the inheritance of the Classical past; and what the role of civic society and provincial cities was in the running of the empire. These questions will help us understand how this group of people (who did not adhere to the new religion that was sweeping across their world and was supported by the imperial regime) could adapt, and even thrive, in such rapidly changing social, political and religious climates.
Linked modules
HIST3227
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Identify, select, and synthesise key arguments from recommended resources
- Organise and structure material to write and present confidently
- Participate constructively in group discussions
- Analyse evidence critically
Cognitive Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Show familiarity with a range of primary sources
- Explain and discuss the factors that influenced the careers of elite pagans in the fourth century
- Explain your own views on modern debates about politics, religion, and society in the fourth century CE.
- Apply knowledge of modern scholarship to your evaluation of ancient texts and materials
- Critically analyse source material
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The lives and careers of prominent members of Roman Society in Late Antiquity
- Religious, philosophical and intellectual life in the fourth century
- The cultural, political context of the Roman empire from 363 to 395
- Debates on the significance of cultural life and religious belief in the late Roman empire.
- How to understand and analyse ancient texts in a variety of literary genres, as well as material evidence such as coins and inscriptions
Syllabus
An indicative list of seminar topics would include
- Imperial politics after Julian
- Social networks in the Ancient world
- Hellenism and paideia in the East
- The Inheritance of the Classics
- Ancient PPE: Themistius on Politics, Philosophy and Empire
- Libanius: City and School in Late Antique Antioch
- Rome and Constantinople: Pagan cities or Christian Capitals?
- Symmachus: Western Aristocracies and Imperial Court
- Ausonius of Bordeaux: Politician and Poet
- The Battle of the Frigidus and the end of Paganism?
- A Generation’s Legacy
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include:
- Seminars will entail focused reading and rigorous analysis of primary sources in conjunction with wide-ranging and penetrating discussions of modern literature on the subject of Julian and his historical and cultural context.
- Small and large group discussions
- One-on-one appointments to provide guidance and feedback on research, writing, and dissertating
Learning activities include:
- preparatory reading, individual research and study prior to each class
- preparing and delivering short presentations relating to aspects of the module, as directed by the tutor
- close study of primary sources
- participation in small and large group discussion
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Preparation for scheduled sessions | 88 |
Follow-up work | 44 |
Seminar | 42 |
Completion of assessment task | 80 |
Revision | 46 |
Total study time | 300 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Heather, P. and D. Moncur (2001). Themistius: Politics, Philosophy and Empire in the Fourth Century. Liverpool.
Sogno, C. (2006). Q. Aurelius Symmachus: a Political Biography. Ann Arbor, MI.
Bowersock, G.W. (1990). Hellenism in Late Antiquity. Ann Arbor, MI.
Matthews, J.F. (1975). Western Aristocracies and Imperial Court. Oxford.
Grig, L. and G. Kelly (2012). Two Romes: Rome and Constantinople in Late Antiquity. Oxford.
Cribiore, R. (2007). The School of Libanius in Late Antique Antioch. California.
Van Hoof, L. (2014). Libanius: a Critical Introduction. Cambridge.
Sivin, H. (1993). Ausonius of Bordeaux and the Genesis of a Gallic Aristocracy. London.
Cameron, Al. (2011). The Last Pagans of Rome. Oxford.
Watts, E. (2015). The Final Pagan Generation. Berkeley.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Written assignment | 50% |
Essay | 50% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External