Ateneo - UPO

The course will include a few lessons on the contextualisation of Roman history between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD, preparatory to the study of the political, economic and social history of the so called Italia Annonaria (central-northern Italy) in the above-mentioned period. Particular attention will be devoted to the western Po Valley and sub-Alpine area, which once again became strategic from the 3rd century onwards, when the transits of imperial troops became more frequent, directed either against military usurpers or against barbarian raids. The settlements of Germanic federates and the lively spread of piedmont Christianity at the end of the 4th century will also be explored.

Bibliographic material will be provided by the lecturer during the course. Non-attending students will prepare the examination by reading S. Giorcelli, Sergio Roda, Iuxta fines Alpium. Uomini e dèi nel Piemonte romano, Torino 1999 (https://upo.sebina.it/opac/resource/iuxta-fines-alpium-uomini-e-dei-nel-piemonte-romano/UPO00022488) and the bibliographic material loaded on DIR.

The course contributes to the achievement of the educational objectives of the course of studies by providing students with specific methodological tools for understanding Roman History, especially the Imperial and Late Antique Roman History (space-time collocation of events, technical language, use of sources), in view of historical research, teaching and historical communication, educational and cultural dissemination.

A broad knowledge of Roman history.

Lectures lasting 30 hours (6 CFU), which will take place in the classroom with the support of explanatory slides. All lectures will be held in presence. Attendance is strongly recommended. Students who are unable to attend the lectures in person will be provided with the opportunity to use the teaching materials via the DIR platform.

Students with DSA are requested to inform the lecturer at the beginning of the course in order to agree on a personal learning path suited to their needs, even beyond the compensatory and dispensatory measures provided for the examination.

The topics of the course will be tested by means of an oral interview for which the following parameters will be taken into account for the evaluation in thirtieths: knowledge and comprehension of the topics required; relevance of the answers; organisation, autonomy, clarity and effectiveness of the exposition; ability to make connections, in-depth studies and syntheses; ability to refer to literary sources.

Main contents covered during the course:
The breakdown of the Augustan equilibrium and the crisis of the 3rd century.
The late antique age: the reforms of Diocletian and Constantine. The Christian empire. The Germanic migrations and the end of the western empire.
Romanisation in the Cisalpine area: strategies of penetration in a peripheral territory.
Northern Italy at the time of military anarchy.
Diocletian's ordering of the so called Italia Annonaria.
Society, economy and settlements in in the Italia Annonaria in the 4th century.
Evenemmental history: passages of emperors and usurpers in the piedmont area between the 3rd and 4th centuries.
The Italia Annonaria in the 5th century: barbarian presences and relations with the courts of Milan and Ravenna.
Pagan cults in late antique Piedmont: the Christianisation of the region with Eusebius of Vercelli and Maximus of Turin.
Visit to the Leone museum in Vercelli.

Knowledge and understanding: to know the spatio-temporal co-ordinates of the period considered, the problems proposed and a congruous heritage of terms specific to the discipline.
Applying knowledge and understanding: to use acquired data in order to contextualise themes, events and characters in space and time; to be able to read, understand and contextualize an historical source.
Autonomy of judgement: responding orally to questions that set in motion inductive or deductive cognitive processes: reading, understanding and interpreting an unknown source from acquired knowledge and skills.
Communication skills: to use scientific language and terminology; to organise arguments with effectiveness and clarity of exposition; to make connections, details and syntheses.
Learning skills: to have acquired a capacity for continuous learning by consulting an up-to-date bibliography and sitography.