Teaching about Roman Identity in the City of Pompeii
Under the Ashes of Vesuvius: Winter 2023 Syllabus (Carleton College)
Pompeii, a Roman town famously destroyed but uniquely preserved by the Vesuvian eruption of 79CE, has traditionally been viewed as a quintessential example of the ancient Roman urban experience. But how ‘Roman’ was Pompeii? In this class, my students and I are examining how evidence from that buried city contributes to our understanding of Roman material culture and the everyday use of urban space; and how this, in turn, can help us interrogate what it meant to be ‘Roman’ in the ancient Mediterranean world.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this class, students will be able to:
Discuss how Pompeii can be used (and misused) to critically approach debates and ideas related to Roman identity.
Discuss the intersectional lived experience of a variety of different identities at Pompeii.
Discuss and critically analyze in writing a wide range of evidence (art, architecture, graffiti, objects) from Pompeii and situate this material culture within its broader historical and social/cultural context.
Assessments
In order to achieve the above outcomes, student learning will be structured around the following assessments:
Attendance, Preparation, Participation (20%)
Students are expected to attend class, fully prepared (i.e. having completed all readings and any homework activities) and ready to actively participate in class discussions.
Short written responses (25%)
Throughout the term, students will turn in three short written responses (1-2 pages) that reflect upon a specific element of class discussions. These papers will be an opportunity to practice consolidating material, consider how your own thinking has changed, speculate on or describe various kinds of evidence, and/or extrapolate to other contexts what we have learned. Prompts for each response will be provided.
Critical Article Review (25%)
In order to develop your skills in the synthesis and critical analysis of scholarly debates, students will write a 3-4 page review of an academic journal article that engages with an aspect of the class materials. A choice of articles for your review will be provided; and there will be an opportunity to revise and resubmit based on initial feedback.
Roman Identity and Material Culture Poster (30%)
The final group poster-project will be an opportunity to explore one specific element of Roman identity through the material culture of Pompeii. Building on the skills gained from class discussions, the short responses, and the article review, the poster will engage with scholarly debates and primary evidence in order to demonstrate your expertise on Pompeian identity to a non-expert audience. As part of this project, students will also be asked to complete a short reflective worksheet based on your individual experiences of the project and the poster session.
*Digital gallery of final posters now available here!*
Class Schedule
Week 1: The Pompeii Premise
Thurs Jan 5th
Read: Beard, M. Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town, ‘Introduction’.
Week 2: Identity and Material Culture - Creating, Burying, and Excavating ‘Roman’ Pompeii
Tues Jan 10th
Read: Maldonado and Russell (2016) ‘Introduction’, in Creating Material Worlds, pp. 1-11.
Harris (2016) ‘Becoming Post-Human: Identity and the Ontological Turn’, in Creating Material Worlds, pp. 17-32.
Thurs Jan 12th
Read: Beard, Chpt 1 (‘Living in a Roman City’).
Wallace-Hadrill (2013) ‘Hellenistic Pompeii: Between Oscan and Greek’, in The Hellenistic West, pp. 35-43.
Week 3: Better Homes and Gardens (Pompeii Edition)
Tues Jan 17th
Read: Beard, Chpt 2 (‘Street Life’) and Chpt 3 (‘House and Home’).
Thurs Jan 19th - *Guest Lecture: Jordan Rogers on Pompeii I.14 Project*
Read: Allison (1993), ‘How Do We Identify the Use of Space in Roman Housing’, pp.1-8.
Allison (2001) ‘Using Material and Written Sources: Turn of the Millennium Approaches to Roman Domestic Space’, AJA 105: 181-208.
Week 4: This is a Man’s World - Performing Roman Masculinity
Tues Jan 24th
Read: Hales (2003), ‘The Roman House and Social Identity’, chpts. 1-2.
Thurs Jan 26th
Read: Hakanen (2020), ‘Normative Masculinity…in Pompeii’, AJA 124: 37-71.
Week 5: Further Expressions of Gender and Sexuality
Tues Jan 31st
Read: Longfellow (2014), ‘Female Patrons and Honorific Statues in Pompeii’, AAR 59: 81-101.
Thurs Feb 2nd
Read: Clarke (2014), ‘Sexuality and Visual Representation’, pp. 516-539.
Week 6: Marginalized Communities and Identities in Pompeii
Tues Feb 7th - *Guest Lecture - Kyle Helms*
Read: Helms (2021), ‘Pompeii’s Safaitic Graffiti’, The Journal of Roman Studies 111: 203–14.
Thurs Feb 9th
Read: Levin-Richardson (2021), ‘Sex and Slavery in Pompeian Households’, pp.188-205.
Lintott (2014), ‘Freedmen and Slaves in the Light of Legal Documents from First Century Campania’, CQ 52: 555-65.
Week 7: Working 9-5? Commerce and Occupations
Tues Feb 14th
Read: Beard, Chpt 5 (‘Earning a Living’).
Thurs Feb 16th
Listen: Rolling in the Dough: Bread-Making and Roman Bakeries with Jared Benton
Week 8: Are You Not Entertained?! Leisure and Pleasure in Pompeii
Tues Feb 21st
Read: Beard, Chpt 7 (‘Pleasures of the Body’).
Thurs Feb 23rd
Read: Beard, Chpt 8 (‘Fun and Games’).
Week 9: Commemorating Identity
Tues Feb 28th
Read: Campbell (2008), The Tombs of Pompeii, pp. 61-79.
Thurs March 2nd
Read: Beard, Chpt 9 (‘A City Full of Gods’).
*Pompeii (2014) - Week 9 Movie Night*
Week 10: Pompeian Identity in the Modern Imagination
Tues March 7th
Read: Approaches to the Study of Human Remains
*WEDNESDAY MARCH 8TH 5-7PM*
POSTER SESSION: “WHEN DISASTER STRIKES” - Partnership with BIOL 220 ‘Disease Ecology and Evolution’
Thur March 9th = Final Class
Read: Pompeii New Excavations
