The Emperor in the Late Roman World (U03386)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : HCA-3-LATERMEMP

Roman emperors possessed and were seen to possess extraordinary personal power. But with a massive empire which took months to cross, and distant and varied subordinates with their own ambitions and agendas, emperors' room for action was always constrained and their personal survival often under threat. In the later Roman Empire (284-565), the presentation of the emperor became ever more grandiose, distant, and semi-divine; a vast and burgeoning bureaucratic state arose, and imperial patronage flowed through new channels, most notably Christian bishops. This course will look both at the individuals associated with these great changes, from Diocletian and Constantine through to Justinian, via characters like the pagan reactionary Julian and the teenage puppet Honorius; we will examine the developing elites of the period; we will look at what difference Christianity made, and at how subjects, great and humble, perceived and were expected to perceive the emperor.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : A pass in any first or second level course in Ancient History or Classical Literature, or equivalent.

? Special Arrangements for Entry : In order for a student from outwith Classics to be enrolled, contact must be made with a Course Secretary on 50 3580 in order for approval to be obtained.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Ancient History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Tuesday	14:00	14:50	Central
Lecture	Friday	14:00	14:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, students will have gained, and will be able to express in writing in their assessed essay and examination, as well as orally in class discussion
- An understanding of the place of the emperors in the Roman empire of the late third to sixth centuries.
- An understanding of the changing perceptions of emperors in the period and the sources, literary and material, though which they are perceived.
- An understanding of the government of the late Roman state, the role of elites, and the effects of Christianisation.
- An understanding of trends within modern historical writing on Late Antiquity.
- an ability to use critically a variety of different methodologies and approaches to the subject.
- bibliographical research skills, for essays on subjects not taught directly.

Transferable Skills:

- written skills and oral communication skills,
- analytical skills,
- ability to recognise and focus on important aspects of a wide-ranging subject and to select specific examples,
- ability to produce a concise summary.