Ateneo - UPO

This module combines the study, at Master’s level, of Roman and medieval history, with particular emphasis on specific topics.

In particular, the Roman history module focuses on the history of Ravenna from its Umbrian origins to Late Antiquity; the medieval history module, on the other hand, concentrates on the study of criminal justice in the Late Middle Ages

For the Roman history module:
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.

For the medieval history module:
In addition to the topics and texts covered during the lectures (uploaded to DIR), attending students will be required to report on L. L. Zanetti Domingues, La giustizia criminale nei comuni italiani. Una storia sociale della violenza e del diritto (secoli XII-XIV),2026 [Carocci].

Non-attending students will be examined on L. L. Zanetti Domingues, La giustizia criminale nei comuni italiani. Una storia sociale della violenza e del diritto (secoli XII-XIV),2026 [Carocci] and TWO of the following texts:

• M. Ascheri, I diritti del Medioevo italiano, 2022 [Carocci]

• A. Esposito, F. Franceschi, G. Piccinni (a cura di), Violenza alle donne. Una prospettiva medievale, 2018 [Il Mulino]

• D. Lett (a cura di), I registri della giustizia penale nell’Italia dei secoli XII-XV, 2021 [Ecole Française de Rome], disponibile online al sito: I registri della giustizia penale nell’Italia dei secoli XII-XV - Publications de l’École française de Rome

Basic level: 1. Knowledge and understanding: acquiring and understanding the themes and issues relating to the history of Ravenna in antiquity and late antiquity, and to that of criminal justice in the early Middle Ages. Advanced level: 1. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: being able to critically interpret sources and literature on the subject; 2. Formulation of judgements: the ability to assess and discuss issues relating to the history of Ravenna in antiquity and late antiquity, and to that of criminal justice in the early Middle Ages; 3. Communication skills: the ability to clearly present the knowledge acquired; 4. Study skills: the ability to acquire an independent and personally refined understanding of the course content.

The course is worth 12 CFU, which will be awarded through 30 hours of teaching per module, comprising 2.4 credits for lectures and interactive teaching and 9.6 credits awarded through independent study.

To enroll in the Roman History module, you must either have already passed an undergraduate exam in Roman History, or agree with the lecturer to study a supplementary textbook. Similarly, for the Medieval History module, a basic knowledge of medieval history (particularly the 11th to 15th centuries) is required, typically acquired through an undergraduate exam.

Both courses are based on face-to-face lectures (totalling 30 hours per module), supported by multimedia materials. Furthermore, the module on medieval history will take the form of a seminar; in addition to lectures, therefore, students will be asked to participate, either individually or in groups, in the analysis of sources published and translated into Italian, or in discussions relating to the main historiographical issues addressed during the course. Occasionally, the lecturer will ask students to prepare short presentations on specific passages from sources or extracts from articles between lectures. Sources and materials used in class will be made available on the DIR platform.

Students with disabilities, specific learning difficulties or special educational needs may request specific services and resources designed for them by contacting the “Career Development, Coordination and Student Services Team”, having first consulted the relevant page on the University website: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities. Once they have made contact with the relevant department, they may consult the lecturer regarding the specific arrangements for the examination.
Erasmus students or those on visiting programmes are invited to contact the lecturer as soon as possible if they wish to prepare a list of agreed reading material in English and/or French (or Spanish for Roman history) instead of the Italian titles listed above.

For both modules, knowledge of the course topics and the reading of the recommended bibliography will be assessed through an oral examination. The following criteria will be taken into account for the marking on a scale 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; and 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 mastery of specialist terminology, will be assessed with marks of ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ (28–30 with distinction); a predominantly mnemonic 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 mark of ‘fail’ (<18/30).

The overall mark will be based on the average of the marks for both modules and on the discussion between the two lecturers regarding the level of competence and knowledge achieved by the student.

For Roman History:
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 liturgical elements 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), shaping a complex urban and confessional duality. Catholic Ravenna was flanked by a fully-fledged Arian topography (Cathedral, Baptistery), designed to preserve Gothic identity without alienating the Roman aristocracy. Theodoric’s Palatium, visible in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, replicates the courtly models of Constantinople and Split. Justinian’s reconquest following the Greek-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 monuments. San Vitale became the ideological manifesto of Caesaropapism: the panels depicting Justinian and Theodora, in the hieratic 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.

Medieval History:
During the course, we will analyse the main ongoing debates in the study of late medieval criminal justice and examine the principal types of sources available for research in this field. Some of the key topics to be analysed will include:

The ius commune and the ius proprium
The accusatorial and inquisitorial trial
Negotiated justice and hegemonic justice
The system of penalties in late medieval Europe
Criminal justice and gender issues
Criminal justice and Christian spirituality
The cultural representation of criminal justice in the late Middle Ages
Civil law and common law
Criminal justice in the Italian communes
Criminal justice in late medieval France

Integration of the gender dimension: this will be achieved primarily through the analysis of prominent female rulers associated with Ravenna, such as Galla Placidia and Theodora, as well as in lectures dedicated to the themes of gender and sexuality in the study of late medieval criminal justice

Basic level: Students are expected to have acquired a sound understanding of the historical context (see SUA A4.b.2) relating to the topics covered in the course. Advanced level: Students are expected to be able to demonstrate a professional approach to the analysis of historiographical texts and sources (see SUA A4.b.2)