HIS 101
Unit 5: Classical Rome and Christianity
A
Roman
aqueduct in Segovia, Spain, still in perfect condition, two thousand
years after it was built. The Romans were master builders, and everywhere that
they conquered around the Mediterranean and in Europe, they built
roads, amphitheatres, aqueducts, forts and temples. Photo
courtesy C. Wayne and Dorothy Miller.
What you
must do in this unit
What you can do in this unit
Some videos that you can watch for this unit
Extra Credit Options
- Take the short 5-point quizzes for chapters 5 and 6. Log into Blackboard and look under "Chapter Quizzes." You have five minutes to complete each quiz (multiple-choice questions).
- For a maximum of 50 points extra credit, read Cicero's essay
"On Duties" (De officiis), sometimes called "On Moral Duties" (www.constitution.org/rom/de_officiis.htm)
and write a one-page
paper (What would you conclude was Cicero's world view or
philosophy of life?).
- For a maximum of 50 points extra credit, read St. Augustine's
Confessions and
write a one-page paper, Why did it take Augustine so long to
accept Christianity? What was the main sin that Augustine felt he
could not overcome?
- For a maximum of 50 points extra credit, in a short paper (one or two pages) compare and
contrast the first (Genesis) and last (Revelation) books of the Christian Bible (New American
Standard Bible).
- For a maximum of 50 points extra credit, as head of the city of Rome, besieged by the
barbarian Huns, in a short paper (one or two pages)
write a description, as detailed as possible, of your dinner with Attila the Hun as you try to negotiate a solution that
will save the city from being pillaged.
- For a maximum of 25 points extra credit, read excerpts from the Meditations
of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and write a paragraph (What were some
of the principles of the Roman philosophy of stoicism reflected in
these Meditations?).
- For a maximum of 25 points extra credit, read excerpts from Julius Caesar's
Commentaries on the Gallic Wars (either the MIT
or UVA version) and write a long paragraph, what would you consider to have been Caesar's strengths as a military
commander?
- For a maximum of 25 points extra credit, read some of Plutarch's biography of
Julius Caesar and his
account of Caesar's assassination and write a long paragraph. What were the main motivations of the assailants who killed Caesar?
- For extra credit, please suggest a
relevant website for this unit of the course. Send the title of the site, the url and a
brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to
the material being studied this unit.
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