The Making of a Roman Emperor

Through close examination of the emperor Augustus and his Julio-Claudian successors, this subject investigates how Roman emperors used art, architecture, coinage, and other media to create and project an image of themselves, how the surviving literary sources from the Roman period reinforced or subverted that image, and how both phenomena have contributed to post-classical perceptions of Roman emperors. Also considers works of Suetonius and Tacitus, and modern representations of the emperors such as those found in the films I, Claudius, Quo Vadis, and HBO’s Rome series. Enrollment limited to 15.

Related Subjects

Offered Fall 2025

Catalog Subject Faculty Level HASS Category
21H.130

The Ancient World: Greece

Lecture: MW 11-12, 3-133
Recitation 1: F 11-12, 66-154
Recitation 2: F 12-1, 66-154
Eric Driscoll

Introductory HASS-H CI-H
21H.133

The Medieval World

TR 9:30-11, 4-257
Eric J. Goldberg Introductory HASS-H
21H.239

The City of Rome in the Age of the Caesars

TR 3:30-5, E51-385
William Broadhead Intermediate HASS-H
21H.240

The World of Charlemagne

TR 1-2:30, E51-385
Eric J. Goldberg Intermediate HASS-H CI-H

Not Offered This Term