Roman Imperial Art, Architecture and Political Propaganda; how to spot fake news in the Roman world

The Roman Empire covers one of the most important and iconic periods of European, North African and Middle Eastern history. The Empire (lasting from the 1st until, arguably, the 5th century AD) extended, at its territorial peak, from the Welsh coastline as far as the Euphrates and from the Scottish border to North Africa. It achieved cultural and political unification on an unprecedented scale. Its military might and administrative rigour enabled a highly-structured system of economic exploitation and cultural appropriation throughout its territorial reach. This module moves thematically and chronologically from the Pax Romana established by Augustus to the rise of imperial cities in northern Africa under Septimius Severus. Themes of peace, triumph and conflict will be viewed through a series of core-and-periphery test cases. Topics covered will include Augustan Peace, The Wars in Judaea, The Spoils of Territorial Expansion under Trajan (looking at Dacia and Parthia), Territorial Consolidation under Hadrian (exploring Rome and Britain) and the Art of Ruling in Absentia (as exemplified by Marcus Aurelius’ reign on the Danube). Students will analyse the Roman conceptualisation of events taking place on the fringe of Empire and the nature of their portrayal at the administrative core in terms of Roman imperial propaganda, political rivalries, "fake news" and the various media used to reach the masses. Imperial propaganda will be investigated through a reading of the most famous imperial architectural designs in Rome which will be tested against archaeological evidence for daily life in the related provinces. The module assumes no prior knowledge of Roman history or archaeology.