Ateneo - UPO

A Comprehensive History of a City: Ravenna from its Umbrian Origins to Late Antiquity. Through an examination of historiographical, epigraphic and iconographic sources, this course will explore the context that led to this Adriatic city being chosen as the base for one of Augustus’s fleets and then, several centuries later, as the imperial capital; subsequently, following the institutional upheavals at the end of the Western Roman Empire, as the capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy; and finally as the residence of the Byzantine exarch after the Greek-Gothic War. Particular attention will then be paid to the iconography and archaeology of power and their symbolic meanings (the imperial palace and its transformations; the Christian topography of the city; the mosaics).

Judith Herrin, Ravenna, capitale dell'impero, crogiolo d'Europa, Milano 2022 (trad. italiana), pp. 15-244 (capp. 1-18). Any further reading material will be provided by the lecturer during the course.

This course contributes, alongside the other curricular disciplines in antiquity, to achieving the educational objectives of the Degree Programme in Philology and Cultural Heritage. In particular, it provides the specific methodological tools for understanding Roman History (spazio-temporal contextualization of events; technical language; use of sources) with a view to research, teaching, historical communication, and educational and cultural dissemination.
1) Spazio-Temporal Contextualization of Events: Basic Level (Describe and Place) Indicator: Students are able to memorize linear chronology and locate historical phases on predefined maps.Measurable Action: They identify and sequence the main events of Roman history chronologically and identify their essential geographical boundaries on a historical map.Advanced Level (Analyze and Correlate)Indicator: Students are able to independently connect geopolitical changes with long-term historical dynamics.Measurable Action: They correlate a territorial change with its socio-economic consequences in Rome, justifying the causes and effects of geopolitical transformations without the aid of guided prompts.
2) Technical Language and Specific Vocabulary: Basic Level (Understand and Define) Indicator: Students know Roman legal, political, and social terminology and provide a correct definition of it.Measurable Action: They correctly define key terms of institutions and society using the appropriate technical vocabulary during their presentation.Advanced Level (Argue and Contextualize) Indicator: Students can use vocabulary flexibly to deconstruct complex concepts and historical anachronisms.Measurable Action: They use specific terminology to argue the evolution of a political institution over time, avoiding anachronisms and critically translating ancient concepts into modern historiographical debate.
3) Use and Critique of Sources: Basic Level (Identify and Paraphrase) Indicator: Students recognize the type of source and extract its literal information.Measurable Action: They classify a proposed source (distinguishing between literary, epigraphic, archaeological, or numismatic) and summarize its explicit informative content following a standard analysis model.Advanced Level (Evaluate and Synthesize) Indicator: Students practice the historical method (source criticism/reliability assessment) and cross-reference different sources to solve a historiographical problem.Measurable Action: They evaluate the reliability and ideology of a source and integrate data of different types to independently reconstruct or interpret a historical event.
The workload and distribution of ECTS credits (CFU) by teaching methodology are structured as follows (Total: [6] CFU, equivalent to [30] hours):Delivery-based Teaching (Didattica Erogativa - DE): 1.2 CFU – Dedicated to face-to-face lectures focusing on foundational core concepts.Independent Study (Autoapprendimento / Studio individuale): 4.8 CFU – Dedicated to autonomous study of exam textbooks, memorization of space-time frameworks, and preparation for critical assignments.

Students must have taken a (core) Roman History exam during their undergraduate degree. Students who have not taken a Roman History exam during their undergraduate degree will be required to read a Roman History textbook agreed with the lecturer.

The course comprises a total of 30 hours of teaching (6 CFU), which will take place in the classroom, supported by multimedia resources. All lessons will be delivered in person.

It is also possible to take the exam in a language other than Italian (English, French, Spanish).
Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD/DSA), or Special Educational Needs (SEN/BES) can request dedicated services and specific tools by contacting the Careers and Student Services Development and Coordination Staff and by visiting the dedicated page on the University website: https://uniupo.it/servizi/servizi-studenti-disabili-e-dsa. Once they have contacted the University Staff, students with disabilities, SLD, or SEN may contact the course instructor regarding the customization of examination methods and teaching arrangements.

The course topics and the reading of the recommended bibliography will be assessed through an oral examination, for which the following criteria will be taken into account when awarding marks out of 30: knowledge and understanding of the required topics; relevance of the answers; organisation, independence, clarity and effectiveness of the presentation; ability to make connections, explore topics in depth and summarise; ability to refer to literary sources.The attainment of a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in class, combined with good critical thinking skills, expressive proficiency and command of specialist language, will be assessed with marks of ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ (28–30 with honours); a predominantly rote or underdeveloped grasp of the content, combined with linguistic and logical skills that are not always adequate, will be assessed with a mark ranging from ‘satisfactory’ (21–24) to ‘good’ (25–27); a minimum level of knowledge of the course content, combined with gaps in learning or inadequate linguistic and logical skills, will result in a ‘pass’ (18–20); a lack of even a minimum level of knowledge of the course content, combined with inadequate linguistic and logical skills and gaps in learning, will result in a ‘fail’ grade (<18/30).

The course will present an overview of the history of Ravenna from its Etruscan-Umbrian origins to late antiquity through the analysis of various literary, historiographical, epigraphic and iconographic sources, within a lagoon hydrographic context described by the sources (Strabo, Iordanes) as a settlement built on stilts. This unique defensibility caught the attention of Augustus, who stationed the classis Praetoria Ravennatis there. The establishment of the port of Classe triggered a profound urban and epigraphic restructuring: the influx of cosmopolitan classiarii, often of Eastern origin, transformed the social fabric and introduced exotic cults well before Christianisation. In 402 AD, for strategic and defensive reasons in the face of Visigothic invasions, Honorius transferred the imperial court there from Milan. Ravenna thus rose to the status of capital of the Western Empire. The urban topography was redefined through the archaeology of power: the monumental architecture promoted by Galla Placidia combined the liturgical apparatus with Theodosian dynastic propaganda, inaugurating—in the mosaics of her Mausoleum and in the lost mosaics of the church of San Giovanni—a sophisticated iconographic language in which earthly royalty was mirrored in the cosmic triumph of the Cross. With the collapse of the Western Empire, Theodoric established the Ostrogothic Kingdom (493 AD), giving rise to a complex urban and confessional duality. Alongside Catholic Ravenna stands a fully-fledged Arian topography (Cathedral, Baptistery), designed to preserve Gothic identity without alienating the Roman aristocracy. The Theodoric Palatium, visible in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, replicates the courtly models of Constantinople and Split. The Justinian reconquest following the Greco-Gothic War transformed the city into the seat of the Exarchate. Under the episcopate of Maximian, the Byzantine administration carried out a systematic damnatio memoriae of Arian relics. San Vitale became the ideological manifesto of Caesaropapism: the panels depicting Justinian and Theodora, in the solemn stillness of the apse’s gold, enshrined the theology of power and the numinous presence of the Eastern sovereign in Italy, whilst Sant’Apollinare in Classe asserted its ecclesiastical autocephaly.

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES (Dublin Descriptors)
1. Knowledge and understanding: Students demonstrate knowledge of the spatio-temporal coordinates of Roman history, core historiographical issues, and legal, institutional, and social terminology.Basic Level: Memorize linear chronology and locate events on predefined maps. Action: Identify and sequence main events; identify essential geographical boundaries on historical maps.Advanced Level: Understand cause-and-effect links between structural changes and institutional superstructures. Action: Recognize systemic relations between reforms and underlying social tensions, critically connecting the monarchical, republican, and imperial periods.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding: Use acquired data to contextualize themes, events, and figures in space and time, critically reading and thematicizing historical sources.Basic Level: Know and define Roman institutional and social terminology. Action: Define key terms of ancient institutions and society using appropriate technical vocabulary during presentations.Advanced Level: Independently connect geopolitical changes with long-term historical dynamics, deconstructing complex concepts. Action: Justify causes and effects of transformations without guided prompts; use specific terminology to argue the evolution of an institution.
3. Making judgements: Activate inductive or deductive cognitive processes to formulate autonomous historical judgements; interpret unfamiliar sources using acquired scientific methodologies.Basic Level: Recognize the type of source and extract literal information. Action: Classify a source (literary, epigraphic, archaeological, numismatic) and summarize its explicit content using standard analysis models.Advanced Level: Practice the historical method (reliability criticism) and cross-reference heterogeneous sources to solve historiographical problems. Action: Evaluate the reliability and ideology of a source; integrate diverse data to independently interpret historical contexts and conflicting modern theses.
4. Communication skills: Communicate knowledge clearly, effectively, and structurally, adapting the presentation to the objectives of research, teaching, or cultural dissemination.Basic Level: Present historical content clearly and coherently using discipline-specific language. Action: Organize arguments with clear exposition during interviews; answer direct questions following a linear logical order.Advanced Level: Make complex connections and critically translate ancient concepts into modern debate, modulating the communication register based on the target audience. Action: Formulate interdisciplinary and spontaneous connections; argue complex theses by placing ancient concepts into historiographical debate.
5. Learning skills: Develop autonomous and continuous learning skills necessary for advanced studies (Master's/PhD) or professional professional development.Basic Level: Use the exam bibliography and navigate standard reference tools indicated by the professor. Action: Consult and use suggested texts, repertoires, and digital resources for independent study or specific topics.Advanced Level: Search, select, and critically evaluate scientific information and updated historiographical literature. Action: Independently find articles, monographs, and academic digital resources to set up original research or resolve complex methodological doubts.