Archaeology of the Roman Empire

Module code: AR2046

The Roman Empire is widely held to be the most influential of ancient super-states, with a huge impact on the story of western civilisation and many successor empires in antiquity and in the modern colonial age. This module explores the Roman Empire from a number of standpoints. As a student on this course you will consider the Roman Empire within its original Mediterranean setting and examine its expansion across large tracts of temperate Europe, parts of the Sahara and the Near East. You will also examine the essential infrastructure of the Roman Empire from an archaeological perspective, considering the army, towns, the economy and building a sense of the defining characteristics of Roman provincial rule.

Topics covered

• Roman warfare
• Urban and rural life
• Transport, communication and the economy
• Religion
• Funerary practices and beliefs
• The Roman frontiers of Africa, Europe and Asia