Course Summary
Unit 1 - Myths and Legends about Rome's Origins
We will begin with the stories generally accepted as myth or legend.
Unit 2 - Foundation Truths
In this unit, we look at some of the truths behind the foundation myths and legends examined in Unit 1, and the various assemblies and magisterial positions.
Unit 3 - Development and Expansion
We look at the history and development of the Roman Republic from around 500BC to approximately 150BC.
Unit 4 - A Century of Mobs, Civil Wars and Dictatorships (150bc-44bc)
We will examine the supreme position of the Dictator, the career of Gaius Marius, Sulla and Julius Caesar.
Unit 5 - Augustus Caesar
This unit looks at the aftermath of the murder of Julius Caesar and his successor Octavian.
Unit 6 - The Development and Decline of the Western Empire
We very briefly outline the history of the emperors who succeeded Augustus in Rome, the empire ruled by Rome and the decline and fall of Rome.
Unit 7 - Social Structure and Life in the City of Rome
We focus on Roman social life, the population explosion and how that affected water supply, sanitation and private housing.
Unit 8 - Development of the Empire
We look again at some aspects of the Empire's development, including the rise of the Imperial Civil Service and the role played by the Army and the Navy.
Unit 9 - The Romans In Britain
We will examine the Roman invasion of Britain and its effects upon life in the country over the following 350 years.
Unit 10 - The Roman Heritage
This short unit serves as a summary and conclusion to the course.
This method of study helped me overcome my difficulty with being unable to travel to courses. It made a challenging subject amenable to complete. The course not only facilitated study but was also fun to do with the other other students and a great tutor.