GRST 302 - The End of the Ancient World: Late Antiquity in Context, c. 200-750

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

The period we call “Late Antiquity” is one of the most dynamic and transformative epochs in the history of the Mediterranean world. Indeed, the consequences of these changes reverberate even today. This period witnessed the Christianity’s integration with imperial power at the expense of traditional polytheism. In the west, the city of Rome’s political influence slowly waned, ultimately culminating in the so-called “fall of Rome” and the establishment of the Germanic successor kingdoms that populated early Medieval Europe. Meanwhile, the Roman empire’s legacy continued strong in the east from a new seat of power at Constantinople. In this context, Christianity saw the emergence of various doctrinal disputes, while the foundations of Rabbinic Judaism and of early Islam were laid. Along the way, the peoples who lived in late ancient Mediterranean endured religious conflict and change, political shakeups, mass migrations, and more, all of which produced new cultures and societies that were simultaneously continuations of the Greco-Roman past, yet profoundly reconfigured for their new contexts.

In this course, we examine a number of these issues and more. With a particular emphasis on religious, political, and social history of late antiquity, we seek to understand in some degree the experiences of individuals who lived during these turbulent times. The first half of the course presents a chronological and narrative framework for the history of this period. In the second half of the course, we explore a number of themes in greater depth. Carl Rice.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS