The myth of Rome in Latin poetry from antiquity to the Renaissance
On-line Course in Latin, 18th October – 13th December, 2024.
The queen of cities has been celebrated in poetry continuously from antiquity to the present. Over the course of some twenty centuries, a myriad of authors have forged in verse an image of the eternal city that inspires both praise and wonder. In classical times, many poets sang of its urban complex, religion, public institutions, militia, customs, and mores. In the Middle Ages, Christian Rome and its ruins equally fascinated writers who felt compassion for the annihilated and destroyed city. Finally, in the Renaissance, humanists, drawing examples of Roman virtue from past works, offered their contemporaries a new triumphant image of the city. In this course, we will explore how the image of Rome has been depicted in Latin poetry throughout the ages.
The course will take place in seminar format via zoom (meeting) every Friday from 18:30 to 19:30 CET.
Each lesson will be conducted entirely in Latin. Each session will be recorded and made available until 1st February 2025.
Program schedule
| When | I. The fascination of Rome in classical Latin poetry |
| I. Friday, 18th October, h. 18:30-19:30 CET | Greetings and Introduction to the Course
Distribution and orientation of course materials The beginnings of an eternal city (Ennius e Ovid) |
| II. Friday, 25th October, h. 18:30-19:30 CET | Old Roman simplicity (Tibullus, Ovid, Grattius) |
| III. Friday, 8th November, h. 18:30-19:30 CET | The greatness of Rome (Horaz) |
| IV. Friday, 15th November, h. 18:30-19:30 CET | Nostalgia for Rome (Ovid; Latin inscriptions) |
| II. The myth of Rome from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance | |
| V. Friday, 22nd November, h. 18:30-19:30 CET | The martyrs of Rome (Ambrosius, Prudentius) |
| VI. Friday, 29th November, h. 18:30-19:30 CET | Rome in Hildebert’s poems |
| VII. Friday, 6th December, h. 18:30-19:30 CET | Rome in the Carmina Burana |
| VII. Friday, 13th December, h. 18:30-19:30 CET |
Rome in the Mirror in the Renaissance (Petrarch, Piccolomini, Landino, Sannazaro, Erasmus)
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Last day to register: 15th October 2024
