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Paganism and Christianity in the Roman Empire (U00298)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : HCL-3-PAGAN

The Roman Empire, stretching from Britain and the Atlantic coast of Gaul and the Iberian peninsula in the west to eastern Anatolia, the Syrian desert and Egypt in the east, was arguably the most cosmopolitan state the western world had ever seen. This is reflected in the astonishing diversity of divine powers venerated within the Empire, ranging from the classical pantheon to Oriental deities and the natives gods and godesses of the western provinces and from divine powers in human guise to sacred animals. Religious sites included urban temples as well as pilgrimage centres and healing sanctuaries in remote locations as well as sacred springs, trees and mountains. With few exceptions (such as Christianity, Druidism and Manichaeism), the individual had almost unlimited freedom of choice. It was also mainly within the Empire that Christianity grew from a persecuted minority cult to a world religion, a development which has shaped history to the present day. Religion in the Roman Empire can help us to understand the modern world, both because important developments originated then and because the cosmopolitan nature of Roman religion provides a useful analogy for our own time.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : A Pass in Classical Archaeology 1, or Classical Art 2A & 2B, or equivalent course.

? Costs : None

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Classical Art/Classical Archaeology, (School of History and Classics, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	16:10	17:00	Central
Lecture	Thursday	16:10	17:00	Central

? Additional Class Information : Semester 1 OR Semester 2

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

- Knowledge of major deities, cults, religions, types of sanctuaries and rituals within the Roman world;
- knowledge of important religious developments in the area of the Empire between the late Republic and Late Antiquity;
- awareness of some significant regional differences in the religion of various parts of the Roman world;
- ability to use critically a variety of different categories of material and written evidence to reconstruct religious phenomena;
- bibliographical research skills to be able to find independently additional information on Roman religion in its wider context. Transferable skills: written communication skills; analytical skills; ability to deal independently with a complex body of information; ability to recognise and focus on important aspects of a complex subject and to select specific examples; ability to produce a concise summary.