Module manager: Dr Henry Clarke
Email: H.H.B.Clarke@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
| CLAS2390 | Rise of Rome |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
How much do we confidently know about early Rome and its people? Can we draw a line between what is myth and what is history? On this module students will analyse the literary and archaeological evidence for the early history of Rome, from the first communities to settle in the area of the future city down to the Roman conquest of the Italian Peninsula. Students will evaluate how far the surviving evidence enables us to produce an accurate view of the early development of Rome, and what other insights we can draw from the literary and material sources about Roman identity. The module will therefore equip students with the analytical tools required to extract authentic evidence from our surviving sources and to identify what historical realities can be deduced from the realm of myth. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
This module will equip students with the tools needed to understand and analyse the surviving evidence for early Rome, including literary and historical texts, inscriptions, coinage, structural remains, artefacts and monuments. It will help students to gain an understanding of the difficulties involved in interpreting later Roman stories about early Rome, and to appreciate the uncertainty, ambiguity and limitations of our knowledge. Interactive lectures will enable students to develop their core knowledge of the subject, build an awareness of the relevant primary evidence, and develop tools to deal with the challenges we face in using this evidence to further our understanding of early Roman history. These sessions will likewise address some of the major scholarly debates relevant to the subject, and will equip students with the skills required to engage critically with the wider scholarship. They will also raise questions to be explored further in seminar classes, where students will practise applying skills in the analysis of primary evidence and articulating their own ideas on the topics under discussion. Several seminars will allow students to practise work of a similar format to that required by the coursework assignment and to gain formative feedback before submitting their work.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Appraise and interpret the main events, people, and cultural, political and social developments of early Rome
2. Evaluate the literary sources and surviving material and archaeological evidence relevant to early Rome, and analyse critically the issues involved in interpreting this evidence
3. Compare and engage critically with the scholarship on early Rome, and outline and evaluate areas of scholarly debate
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
1. Analyse critically and synthesise views on a wide range of primary sources and secondary literature
2. Communicate the results of work effectively through reasoned and well-supported arguments
3. Demonstrate creativity, innovation and reflection in responding to a brief
This module will involve historical, historiographical and archaeological analysis of the evidence for Rome’s early history. The module will begin by considering the problematic nature of the anachronistic literary sources that describe the early history of Rome, and the blurred lines they create between myth and history, whilst also suggesting how this evidence can still be used in combination with material remains to identify historical realities. It will consider the material remains of the first communities to establish permanent settlements at Rome, explore the evidence for early political, social and religious structures, and interrogate the mythical/historical foundation of Rome by Romulus. Other topics may include the reign of the kings, their expulsion, and the emergence of the Republican form of government. The module may also consider Rome’s relationship with its Latin neighbours and the other communities in Italy, the politics of the Roman Republic and the conflict of the plebeian and patrician orders, and how war and the expansion of Roman power affected domestic politics, culture and society during the Republican era.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 14 | 1 | 14 |
| Seminar | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Private study hours | 180 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
• 4 hours reading for each of the 14 lectures = 56 hours
• 5 hours preparatory work for each of the 6 seminars = 30 hours
• 47 hours researching and writing the first coursework assignment
• 47 hours researching and writing the second coursework assignment
Students will have the opportunity to receive formative feedback during module contact hours, both at lectures via in-class exercises and group discussion, and especially in seminar classes via feedback on contributions to class activities and formative presentations linked with the module coursework. Several seminars will support preparatory work for the coursework, for discussion with the seminar tutor and the group. These will give students a chance to explore what the module assessment requires, to practice and receive feedback on work which should improve their ability to complete the module assessment, and to gain a good sense of their progress on the module and on their preparatory work for the coursework well in advance of when it is due.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Project Portfolio | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
The creative assignment will consist of a guide of ancient Rome for an ancient historian travelling back to a point in early Roman history covered by the module. Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 25/04/2025
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