This course explores ancient Rome’s transformation from a democratic republic to an
autocratic empire and the considerable implications this crucial shift has had for world
history. It examines the fall of the Roman republic and the rise of Rome’s first emperor
Augustus along with the vast cultural transformations in this age of revolution. Major
issues include: Augustan art, architecture, and literature; political ideologies, propaganda,
and resistance; gender, sexuality, and the family; Rome and Egypt, colonialism and cultural
identity.