January Term in Rome, Italy: Topography and History of Ancient Rome

The Colosseum

Ancient Rome
In history and literature, Rome is the city par excellence.  Located on the Tiber River in central Italy, Rome was a cosmopolitan city, a center of commercial activity from its earliest history, and the capital of a huge empire from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE, with a population of around a million inhabitants at the height of its power.

Rome boasts a cityscape dotted with monuments made famous by the historical and literary accomplishments of its most renowned citizens, such as the Roman Forum, where the orator and statesman Cicero delivered some of his best-known speeches, and the Palatine hill where Roman emperors built their palaces. The urban amenities for which Rome is so well known are visible, too—street, sewers, aqueducts, and imperial baths—as well as venues for public entertainment—the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, and Theatre of Marcellus.

Sites outside Rome offer other glimpses into life in ancient Italy: Ostia Antica, Rome’s port on the Tiber; Cerveteri, a center of Etruscan civilization that dominated Italy before the Romans; Hadrian’s villa, an expansive and lavish country getaway for the Roman emperor, near the modern town of Tivoli; and Palestrina, a site of a major shrine to the goddess Fortuna.

Course Description and Requirements
This course will take students to the most important ancient sites in Rome, where we will engage in a close examination of the history, archaeology, and architecture of the ancient city. On-site lectures will be supplemented by visits to museums, and we will take day trips to Ostia Antica, Cerveteri, Tivoli, and Palestrina. We will hold three classes on the Mount Holyoke campus before departing for Rome. Course requirements include attendance and active participation at all lectures and site visits; two quizzes; a journal, and a take-home essay exam (approx. 5 pp. typed).

Required textbooks: A. Claridge, Rome:  an Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford (1998); J. Stambaugh, The Ancient Roman City. Baltimore (1988).

Language
All lectures will be in English. Knowledge of Latin or Italian is not required.  However, background in any of these languages, Roman history, or archaeology is helpful.

Costs, Travel Dates, Application
The cost of the program is estimated at $2,400, with a minimum enrollment of 18 students required for the program to run. Limited financial assistance is available. The quoted price includes round trip airfare (Boston to Rome), 10 nights in a four-star hotel (buffet breakfast included), transportation to and from airports, transportation to Cerveteri, Tivoli, and Palestrina as well as admission fees to sites there. The quoted price is based on double occupancy (twin rooms) and does not include meals (other than the buffet breakfast mentioned above), public transportation within Rome, admission fees to sites and museums in Rome, and public transportation to Ostia Antica (total out-of-pocket expenses are estimated at $450–500). We will depart on 8 January 2009 and return on 19 January 2009.

The Roman Forum

This is a serious academic course intended for motivated students. Some preference will be given to classics, ancient studies, history, and art history majors, but no background in these subjects is required, and anyone with a serious interest in ancient Rome is encouraged to apply. Direct questions to and obtain application forms from Geoffrey Sumi (gsumi@mtholyoke.edu) or Mark Landon (mlandon @mtholyoke.edu), Department of Classics and Italian, Mount Holyoke College. We will have an informational meeting for interested students early in the fall semester (date and time TBA).

A non-refundable deposit of $200 will be due by mid-October and the remaining balance by early November.

Successful applicants will be required to attend two mandatory informational meetings in the fall semester (dates and times TBA), enroll in the January Term course, and attend classes on the MHC campus the first week of January Term before departing for Rome.

All students must have health insurance that will cover them in Italy.  Program participants will be covered by AIG Assist, which will evacuate students to adequate hospital facilities in the event of a medical emergency that cannot be treated on-site.

All program participants are required to have a valid passport; US students who do not currently have passports should bear in mind that applications may take as long as 6-8 weeks to process. US citizens do not need a visa to enter Italy as tourists for a short-term program; citizens of other countries should check entry requirements.

MHC Students at the Arch of Titus