Religion and Social History

Rome from the Ground Up An Exploration of Roman Religion, Ritual, and Social Practices in Late Ancient Rome

What was life like for an ordinary Roman citizen in the third and fourth century? What sort of things did people do, or worry about?

This four-week (arrival June 1 departure July 1, 2011), intensive advanced course will focus on religion, ritual and everyday life in the later Roman Empire, as Christianity gradually becomes the dominant force in the Empire. Rather than focusing on movements, monuments, literature or political structures, the aim of the course will be to teach students to do Roman social history from the “ground up,” that is to say, through case studies: careful investigation of the evidence for lives of ordinary individuals.

Study Ancient Romans in Their Context, in Rome

On Site Assignments
Specific epigraphic investigations In-depth examination of ritual practices Ongoing excavations Burial practices- columbaria, monumental tombs, Isola Sacra, etc. Students should come prepared with a specific research interest to pursue independently (discussed in pdf application). The weekly schedule consist of in-class lectures, on site case studies analysis (often with guest lecturer), and time for library research and professional research guidance.

Week 1: Roman Lives, daily life
We’ll examine the lives of Q. Sulpicius Maximus, Minucia Marcella and Crepereia Tryphaena, three elite Romans, and what we can learn from their physical remains. Site visits to the baths, the Colosseum, Baths, and the Palazzo Massimo.

Week 2: Working in cosmopolitan Rome
This week’s case studies include Habibi, a third-century Syrian immigrant to Rome and Domitia Plecusa whose husband sells scented oils. Site visits include Ostia Antica and the Vatican Santa Rosa Necropolis.

Week 3: Jews and Christians in the late Empire confronted with Rome’s last pagans.
Case studies include Christian infant Reparatus and his family, wealthy Pancratii family, and the pagan senator Symmachus. Site visits to S. Paolo fuori le mura and the Centro Montemartini, catacombs and hypogeum of Via Livenza.

Week 4: Martyrs and the Late Antique City
Case studies include Rufina, a Christian woman of senatorial class, and Turtura, a friend of the saints. Site visits to the Catacombs of Domitilla and the house church of Giovanni e Paolo.
Goals: students will emerge from this course with a deeper understanding of Roman social history, reading material, archaeological and epigraphic evidence critically; working with material culture on site and in collections.

Lead course Instructor:
Nicola Denzey Lewis (Brown University) is an internationally recognized scholar of Roman social history and the Christianization of Rome. An expert guide through subterranean Rome – particularly the city’s catacombs and hypogaea – Denzey Lewis has taught at Dartmouth, Harvard (where she received a university award for teaching excellence), and Brown University and been featured on the History Channel and National Geographic.    She is the author of the recent book, The Bone Gatherers: The Lost World of Early Christian Women. She will be assisted by prominent scholars in classics, epigraphy, archaeology, and art history.

Program Dates: June 1 – July 1, 2011

Program Costs: $5000.00 with student housing.

** Cost includes: tuition, accommodations in shared student apartments, museum/site ticketing and travel related to course, airport transfer to and from airport, 2 group dinners and rental of Italian cellular phone with Italian SIM.

Requirements and Application:

Application deadline: March 15, 2011. Apply by sending your application to study@romanculture.org. Space is limited; enroll early.

All applications must include: one letter of recommendation from a university professor (sent separately by professor); your statement of purpose stating your interest and objectives for taking the course (300 words).

Applications should be submitted via email to studyabroad@romanculture.org.

Professor recommendations should be sent directly to the same email listing the applicant’s name.


** The American Institute for Roman Culture is a non-profit 501(c)3 educational organization dedicated to cultural heritage and academics in the fields of archaeology and art history and conservation. The Institute is pleased to this offer intensive programming in conjunction with one of the field’s leading professional authorities on digital archaeology. The course is designed primarily for professional and personal enrichment and consists of 45 hours of intensive learning contact hours. The Institute expects continuing education credits to be available for classroom teachers and other professionals.

Instructors will issue a final “grade” of complete or incomplete based on the following criteria: class attendance, participation in lecture activities, discussions and labs.    Upon successful completion of this course, the participant will receive a certificate from the American Institute for Roman Culture (AIRC). Those seeking academic credit from their home university should speak with their department chair or study abroad department to determine what additional costs or criteria would need to be addressed. For further questions, please contact Shelley Ruelle, the Programming Director at AIRC.