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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of History, Classics and Archaeology : Ancient History

Undergraduate Course: Roman Slavery (ANHI10011)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of History, Classics and Archaeology CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course offers critical engagement with the legal, literary, archaeological and epigraphic evidence concerning the institution of Roman slavery.
Course description Exploring the firm place occupied by slavery in Roman society, this course will investigate the bleak reality of slavery as ownership, but also foreground the slaves' agency through their occupational paths, involvement in cultic activities and rebellions, before approaching their acquisition of freedom through manumission.

The course shows how slavery deeply affected not only the socio-economic life of the Romans, but also significantly permeated their cultural endeavours. It seeks furthermore to stimulate students to reflect on the various methodological issues that scholars encounter when trying to access the experience of the enslaved in Roman society.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Ancient History 2a: Past and Present in the Ancient World (ANHI08014) AND Ancient History 2b: Themes and Theories in Ancient History (ANHI08013)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Students should have achieved Passes in 'Ancient History 2a: Past and Present in the Ancient World' (ANHI08014) AND 'Ancient History 2b: Themes and Theories in Ancient History' (ANHI08013); or equivalent experience at the Course Organiser's discretion.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting 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.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2023/24, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  23
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 11, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 60 %, Coursework 40 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Coursework:
3,000 word essay (40%)

Exam:
2-hour exam (60%)
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
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. demonstrate in written examination, coursework and class discussion an understanding of the complexity of the topic and its interrelatedness with other important topics
  2. demonstrate in written examination, coursework and class discussion a knowledge of some important aspects of ancient slavery as a system of exploitation
  3. demonstrate in written examination, coursework and class discussion an ability to use critically a variety of different categories of material, epigraphic and literary evidence
  4. demonstrate in written examination, coursework and class discussion an understanding of some of the major historiographical issues relating to the study of slavery
  5. demonstrate in written examination, coursework and class discussion an awareness of some of the differences and similarities between ancient and modern slavery
Reading List
K.R. Bradley, Slavery and Rebellion in the Roman World, 140BC-70BC (1998)
K.R. Bradley, Slavery and Society at Rome (1994)
K.R. Bradley, Slaves and Masters in the Roman Empire (1987)
N. Fisher, Slavery in Classical Greece (1993)
W. Fitzgerald, Slavery and the Roman literary imagination (2000)
K. Hopkins, Conquerors and Slaves (1978)
H. Mouritsen, The Freedman in the Roman World (2011)
D.W. Rathbone, 'The development of agriculture in the ager Cosanus in the Republican period: problems of evidence and interpretation', JRS 71 (1981), 10-23
D.W. Rathbone, 'The slave mode of production in Italy', JRS 73 (1983), 160-168
U. Roth (ed.), By the Sweat of your Brow. Roman Slavery in its Socio-Economic Setting (2010)
U. Roth, Thinking Tools. Agricultural Slavery between Evidence and Models (2007)
T.E.J. Wiedemann, Slavery (1997)
T.E.J. Wiedemann, Greek and Roman Slavery (1988)
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsRoman Slavery
Contacts
Course organiserDr Laura Donati
Tel:
Email: ldonati@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Ksenia Gorlatova
Tel: (0131 6)50 8349
Email: Ksenia.Gorlatova@ed.ac.uk
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