Corso di laurea magistrale in Scienze storiche

The course contributes, in parallel with the other curricular ancient disciplines, to the achievement of the educational objectives of the Master's Degree Course in Historical Sciences by providing students with specific method tools for reading and critical-historical analysis of significant primary and secondary sources of Roman History, especially late antique.

At the end of the course students have to demonstrate they have acquired:

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING in relation to the planned theme, know the main literary and documentary sources and understand their different historical relevance.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING to be able to critically read and thematize the sources, contextualizing them in space and time.

AUTONOMY OF JUDGMENT to read, understand and interpret a source starting from the knowledge and skills acquired, setting in motion inductive and deductive cognitive processes.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS use scientific language and terminology in oral and written production; organize the topics with effective and clear presentation; make links, dephts and summaries.

LEARNING SKILLS demonstrate that students have acquired a continuous learning ability through the independent consultation of an updated bibliography and sitography.

"The Tetrarchy as a historical caesura: ancient sources and historiographic reflection on the beginning of Late Antiquity".

The twenty years between Diocletian's accession to the throne and his abdication (284-305 A.D.) can be considered an epochal junction in Roman history for the profound reforming action to which the organisation of the Roman empire was subjected, which underwent a remarkable transformation in those years. No sector remained unchanged: from the figure of the sovereign to the places of power, from the government apparatus to the organisation of the territory, from the social structure to the religious orientation. What began with Diocletian was to all intents and purposes a 'New Empire' (T.D. Barnes), whose renewed structures - and completed in the following Constantinian age - had a lasting influence on the life of the last centuries of the empire. The lecturers' talks will initially present the periodization and chronological caesura that the Tetrarchic Age represented in Roman imperial history. They will then present the most significant historiographic readings that have been given of the figures of Diocletian and the Tetrarchs (from Gibbon to Spengler to twentieth-century historiography) and the ancient sources, not only historiographic and literary (from Lactantius to Eusebius and ecclesiastical historians, from the Latin Panegyrics to the emperor Julian of Caesares, from historians such as Aurelius Victor and Eutropius to orators such as Libanius and Themistius), but also documentary (epigraphic numismatic, iconographic), useful to reconstruct the image of that age. Finally, the planning but also the conjunctural aspects of the activity of Diocletian and his collaborators will be treated, insisting on the ideological, administrative, economic, social, artistic and cultural transformations induced by the Tetrarchic sharing of power. All ancient texts will also be offered in translation.

The course will be divided into two parts: in the first, the lecturers will give lessons and propose exercises on the indicated sources relating to the Tetrarchic period. In the second part, students who have attended the course will present their chosen topics orally and discuss with the lecturers how to prepare the written paper to be submitted for the examination. All lessons will be held in person. Since this is a laboratory teaching activity, attendance is strongly recommended. For those who cannot in any way guarantee their attendance at the lectures, a substitute programme will be provided from some of the materials made available on the Moodle platform.

The degree of learning will be tested orally and in writing. Students will be asked to prepare a short paper on one or more ancient sources and on the historiographical readings indicated in the lecture; this paper will be presented orally in the second part of the course and then handed in in written form to the lecturers before the lectures (at least 20 days in advance). It will be assessed according to the following criteria:

Knowledge and understanding of the topics;
Organisation, clarity and effectiveness of both oral and written exposition;
Ability to make connections, in-depth study and synthesis;
Ability to make comparisons and references with other documents and sources.

For students with DSA or disabilities, please refer to the University's support (https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-con-disabilita) and reception procedures (https://www.unito.it/accoglienza-studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa), and in particular to the procedures for exam support (https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-con-disabilita/supporto-agli-studenti-con-disabilita-sostenere-gli-esami ).

Students with DSA are requested to inform the lecturer at the beginning of the course in order to agree on a personal learning path suited to their needs, even beyond the compensatory and dispensatory measures provided for the examination.

In order to prepare for the examination, all are required to study the above-mentioned volume by F. Carlà-Uhink, accompanied by the reading of the volume by U. Roberto. Any other texts (journal articles, miscellaneous essays) will be indicated by the lecturers during the course and uploaded (if possible) onto the Moodle platform.

It is also possible to take the exam in a language other than Italian.

Students are advised to register for the course so that they can receive communication from the lecturer in good time.