The Roman Empire, 31 B.C. to A.D. 337

At its peak, the Roman Empire ranged from the North Atlantic to the Persian Gulf. We will study the rise and fall of this multicultural empire, from the assassination of Julius Caesar to the death of Constantine the Great. We will listen to the Empire's many voices: the emperor grumbling that the people of Rome did not have one neck; the young woman dreaming of triumph on the eve of her martyrdom; the centurion boasting of slaughtered Dacians and naked water goddesses. Finally, we will assess the Empire's relevance to early modern and modern societies across the globe.