The Changing Landscape of Ancient Rome. Archaeology and History of the Palatine Hill

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/palatine-hill-archaeology-history

Introduction

**Course Review and Recommendation: "The Changing Landscape of Ancient Rome: Archaeology and History of the Palatine Hill"** If you have ever wandered the ancient streets of Rome or felt a tug on your heart when gazing upon the ruins of history, then the Coursera course "The Changing Landscape of Ancient Rome: Archaeology and History of the Palatine Hill" may be just the intellectual journey you seek. This comprehensive and insightful course provides an immersive exploration of the archaeological and historical narratives that shaped one of the world's most fascinating cities. ### Overview The course embarks on a journey through time, focusing on the Palatine Hill—a site of immense historical importance and the traditional birthplace of Rome. With an emphasis on understanding local urban development over centuries, this course skillfully intertwines the disciplines of history and archaeology, offering participants a unique perspective on the physical transformations and socio-political changes in ancient Rome. The fragmented nature of archaeological evidence poses a challenge for historians and archaeologists alike. This course stands out by equipping students with the methods to reconstruct the urban landscape of ancient Rome, making it come alive through innovative imaging and historical context. The focus goes beyond merely observing remnants of the past; it aims to reconstruct narratives that provide a living picture of Rome's evolution. ### Syllabus Breakdown The course is structured into meticulously crafted modules, each spanning key periods in Roman history. Here’s a brief breakdown: 1. **From Ruins to a Full Evidence Local History**: This introductory module sets the stage for understanding archaeological methodologies, helping students to classify evidence and create archaeological charts of the Palatine. 2. **From a Border Land to the Largest Settlement in Latium (13th–9th cent. b.c.e.)**: Learn about the transition from dispersed communities to a unified settlement, exploring artifacts from the Bronze and Iron ages. 3. **A City - Ruled by Kings - is Born (8th – 7th century b.c.e.)**: Delve into the legendary founding of Rome, distinguishing between myth and science through archaeological excavations. 4. **New Kings Before a New State (6th – 3rd century b.c.e.)**: This module examines the urban development leading to the establishment of the Roman Republic, revealing how architecture evolved during this phase. 5. **The Masters of an Empire (2nd - end of 1st century b.c.e.)**: Explore the transition from a Republic to an Empire while examining the grandeur of the Palatine as the heart of Roman political power. 6. **The Capital of the Empire (end of 1st century b.c.e. – beginning of 1st century c.e.)**: Study the significant changes under Augustus and the architectural magnificence of Imperial Rome. 7. **The Golden City (1st – 2nd century c.e.)**: Gain insights into what it meant for Rome to be deemed the "Golden City," filled with grandeur, luxury, and cultural evolution. 8. **The Golden City and Her Decline (3rd – 6th century c.e.)**: This module highlights the decline of Rome, examining the shifts in power and society as the city faced invasions and internal strife. ### Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, participants will have developed a robust understanding of the archaeological and historical context of Ancient Rome. They will be able to: - Classify and analyze archaeological evidence - Create detailed archaeological charts - Define key monuments and artifacts from various historical phases - Discuss the socio-political evolution of Rome from its mythological origins to the decline of the ancient city ### Recommendation I highly recommend this course to history enthusiasts, students of archaeology, and anyone fascinated by ancient civilizations. It is suitable for both beginners and those with some prior knowledge of Roman history. The combination of engaging lectures, visual aids, and interactive assignments makes complex historical material accessible and interesting. By enrolling in "The Changing Landscape of Ancient Rome," you will not only walk the ancient paths of the Palatine Hill vicariously but also cultivate a deeper appreciation for the layers of history embedded in Rome's architecture and culture. Prepare to be enthralled, educated, and inspired by the rich tapestry of ancient Rome’s past. This course is a true gem for anyone keen on uncovering the stories that shaped one of the greatest cities in human history.

Syllabus

From ruins to a full evidence local history (methods, procedures, tools)

As a welcome module, the course will start discussing how we can move back through time and space to draw an updated archeological chart of the Palatine, to be integrated when possible with missing or lost part of the ancient overall framework, in order to be turned into the basic tool for describing diachronically architectural and topographical continuity and discontinuity. This aiming at the reconstructions of sequences of facts and at a historical reconstruction tout-court. By the end of this module you will able to: - classify archaeological evidence - draw an archaeological chart - try to integrate missing part of buildings/monuments if possible

The whole story of city parts begins before the foundation of the city itself. In this module we will discuss how archaeological evidence and roman cultural memory allow to envision the faster and faster development from a number of dispersed peer communities to unified settlement, anticipating and somehow preparing the birth of the City. By the end of this module you will able to: - identify central Italian Bronze and Iron Age artifacts - define and identify pre- and proto-urban topographical and social organization - try to compare archaeological features and literary tradition

April 21st year 753 before common era. This is the day when the Romans believed their city had been founded. And they were probably right. According to the Roman foundation legend, a prince born in Alba Longa by a god and the young king’s daughter - Romulus - founded the city. He celebrated an elaborated rite on the Palatine, killed his twin brother - Remus - encircled the Palatine with a sacred wall, gave the Romans a constitution and reigned over the new born city for 37 years. Thanks to the results of our recent archaeological excavations we know now that the core of the legend is true. By the end of this module you will able to: - discuss present state of scientific debate about the birth of the city in Central Italy - define and identify urban political organizations - identify Late Iron Age and Early Archaic artifacts and building techniques.

Just one hundred and fifty years after the foundation, huts and pebble streets were substituted by more substantial buildings and paved streets. On and around the Palatine, as well as in other districts of the city, Houses and temples resting on squared blocks foundations and covered by roofs made of clay tiles replaced huts. Streets were paved by rock slabs and new drains allowed to keep lower areas dry, even during flooding winter seasons. In year 509 before common era, the king was sent into exile and two young aristocrats declared themselves first annual magistrates of a new State: the Roman Republic. From the 5th to the end of the 3rd century before common era, Rome had to fight to survive and the urban lay-out of the hill is not altered by relevant changes. By the end of this module you will able to: - discuss major changes occurred between the late archaic period, early- and mid- republican phases in Rome - define and identify a certain number of Roman monuments and/or places - identify Late Archaic and early/middle Repubblican artifacts, decorations and building techniques

In the course of nearly three hundred years – from 509 till 202 b.c.e. - central, southern and northern Italy were conquered by the Romans and included into the Roman political organization as submitted or allied territories. Later on, year 146 b.c.e. was the real turning point. Greece became a Roman Province. Carthage – a city in north Africa, Rome’s enemy number one – was destroyed. The Mediterranean sea was roman: Mare nostrum, they called it: “Our Sea”. The republican political system was still working but this was, in fact, the beginning of a new Empire. The luxurious residences of the most eminent civil and political actors - nobles, knights, senators, magistrates and so forth - were on the Palatine, “the most beautiful part of the City”. By the end of this module you will able to: discuss major changes occurred during the Late Republican phase in Rome define and identify a certain number of Roman monuments and/or places identify Late Repubblican artifacts, decorations and building techniques

Year 31 b.c.e. After nearly fifty year of Civil Wars, a 32 years old man, son of a sister of Julius Caesar, defeated his last enemy. Few years later - 27 and 23 b.c.e. – Roman Senators assigned him an immense power, asking him to watch over a new era of peace and respect for Roman laws and ancient traditions. They called him Augustus, a word meaning “blessed by Jupiter the king of the Gods”. The nephew of Julius Caesar became the first Emperor of Rome, and choose the Palatine as his own residing place. By the end of this module you will able to: - discuss major changes occurred between Late Republican phase and Augustan age in Rome - define and identify a certain number of Roman monuments and/or places - identify Augustan artifacts, decorations and building techniques

Imperial Rome was much more like a contemporary metropolis than we can imagine. Urban landscape, in particular on and around the Palatine, was crowded by: luxury residences and, first among them, the Imperial Palace on the Palatine; buildings for spectacles; baths: buildings for leisure and culture; temples and cult places for traditional gods and for new gods, that is the deified emperors; blocks of multiple storey buildings. This is how Rome should have looked like when poets and writers called her the “Golden City” (Aurea Roma). By the end of this module you will able to: - discuss major changes occurred during Early Imperial period in Rome - define and identify a certain number of Roman monuments and/or places - identify Early Imperial artifacts, decorations and building techniques

The embellishment of the city went on for a little further. At the beginning of the 4th century, Constantine the Great, first Christian Emperor, restored the imperial palace on the Palatine and also offered in different parts of the city monumental churches to the “new” God of the “new” Faith. The “Golden Rome”, even if wounded and besieged by the so-called “Barbarian People” pressing from East Europe and Middle East, still preserved her splendor. 476 A.D.: The German King Odoacre dethrones the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus. 535 A.D.: Justinianus Emperor of Byzantium – once the capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire - send a fleet and an army to Italy in order to “free Rome from the Barbarians”. 552 A.D.: 27 years later. War is over at last and the generals sent by Justinianus conquer Rome. But less than one thousand people lived in the urban area. Small churches, huts, small herb and vegetables gardens, tombs were scattered here and there in the vast area of the nearly empty city, between the skeletons of the ancient ruined buildings. By the end of this module you will able to: - discuss major changes occurred during Middle and Late Imperial period in Rome - define and identify a certain number of Roman monuments and/or places - identify Middle and Late Imperial artifacts, decorations and building techniques.