Undergraduate Course: The Severans (ANHI10007)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will look at the reigns of the Severans (AD 193-235) including Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla and their successors, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus. |
| Course description |
This course will look at the reigns of the Severans: Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla and their successors, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus. Septimius hoped to bring renewed stability to an Empire that had suffered since the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180, and we shall consider the success in the light of his own reign and that of his son. The situation deteriorated, however, under Elagabalus, and was stabilised briefly under the reign of Alexander, despite his youth. The course will consider the changes that occurred in this period, militarily, socially and politically. It will involve the inter-relation of a wide variety of different types of evidence, notably literary, epigraphic and archaeological, and the development of the skills required to interpret these in the construction of a history of the Severan age.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics related subject matter (at least 2 of which should be in Ancient History) at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses.
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 27 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
1 seminar report of 1500 words (20%), and
1 essay of 2500 words (30%).
Examination: 1 two-hour exam (50%).
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| Feedback |
Students will receive written feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding the political and social context of the Severan emperors;
- Demonstrate an understanding of the changes to the Roman Empire brought about by challenges to imperial power both within and outside of Rome;
- Demonstrate an understanding of the interaction of various sources of evidence (literary, epigraphic and archaeological) in the construction of an historical understanding.
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Reading List
Ando, C. (2012) Imperial Rome, AD 193-284: the Critical Century. Edinburgh.
Barnes, T.D. (1967) 'The family and career of Septimius Severus', Historia 16: 87-107.
Birley, A, (1988) Septimius Severus: The African Emperor. London.
Gorrie, C. (2004) 'Julia Domna's building patronage, imperial family roles and the Severan revival of moral legislation', Historia 53: 61-72.
Hekster, O. (2008) Rome and Its Empire: AD 193-284. Edinburgh.
Hose, M. (2007) 'Cassius Dio: a senator and historian in the age of anxiety', in J. Marincola (ed.), A Companion to Greek and Roman Historiography. London, 461-467.
Icks, M. (2011) The Crimes of Elagabalus: the Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor. London.
Kemezis, Adam M. (2014) Greek Narratives of the Roman Empire under the Severans. Cambridge.
Millar, F. (1964) A Study of Cassius Dio. Oxford.
Moscovich, M.J. (2004) 'Cassius Dio's palace sources for the reign of Septimius Severus', Historia 53: 356-68.
Rowan, C. (2012) Under Divine Auspices: Divine Ideology and the Visualisation of Imperial Power in the Severan Period. Cambridge.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
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. |
| Keywords | Severans |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Alex Imrie
Tel:
Email: A.Imrie@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Sara Dennison
Tel: (0131 6)50 2501
Email: Sara.Dennison@ed.ac.uk |
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