Syllabus for

HIST 414/514 Rome & Carthage

Course Description: The struggle between Rome and Carthage in the Punic Wars[265-146 BC] was arguably the greatest and most desperate conflict of antiquity. The forces involved and the casualties suffered by both sides were far greater than in any wars fought before the modern era, while the eventual outcome had far-reaching consequences for the history of the Western World, namely the ascendancy of Rome. Most significantly, the Roman victory paved the way for the civic values of the City State and of Greek culture to spread to and take hold in Western Europe. It was an epic of war and battle, a story of famous generals and leaders: Hannibal, Fabius Maximus, Scipio Africanus, and his grandson Scipio Aemilianus, who would finally bring down the walls of Carthage.

A major focus of the course will be on the question of 'war guilt', that is: who was responsible for starting the Punic Wars? and could war have been avoided?

Books: Books may be found at the appropriate place in the UO Bookstore. Note the following:

• Many of these books are easily available at Smith Family Bookstore and were used in HIST 414 in the Fall Term.
• Note that several of these books are available as Kindle Editions and for a significantly lower price.
• Required:
• Penguin Edition of Polybius, The Rise of Rome and
• Livy, Hannibal's War, Oxford UP
• Lewis & Reinhold, Roman Civilization Vol 1
• Other texts including B. D. Hoyos, Unplanned Wars: The Origins of the First and Second Punic Wars, do not purchase, relevant material will be available here as a PDF.
• Recommended:
  • B. D. Hoyos, A Companion to the Punic Wars [Kindle Edition is $39; do not buy the print version, it costs $189]
  • Boatwright, Talbert, The Romans [Recommended for an overview]

Instructors: J. Nicols, Harmut Blum [University of Tübingen], Nate Andrade, Mary Jaeger [Classics]

Please note the following:

• Because the semester at Tübingen overlaps with our own winter term, Professor Blum will not be able to arrive until the week of 7-8 February. During January, Professors Nicols, Jaeger, and Andrade will meet the class once per week and provide general background for the twice per week meetings with Professor Blum.
• Students who wish to earn '407 Seminar' credit for the course need to speak to Nicols before the term begins. See below for more information.

Expectations / Grading

• There will be a one hour midterm to Tuesday, 3 February. There will be short answer essays and you will have choice.
• We expect the students to work closely with the documents and sources, and half of your grade will be based on your success in doing so.
• The class is designed to promote discussion, and participation does matter. You will not be penalized for silence, but you can raise your grade significantly by contributing in meaningful ways to the discussion.
• All students must take the final exam at the scheduled hour;
• Those electing to earn HIST 407 seminar credit for the course must also submit a signficant research paper by Thursday, 12 March. On the paper this this link.

Seminar Papers: Information

Prelimary Reports on Seminar Papers.

Schedule [the specific assignments will be available in early December, 2014].

• Week 1: Introduction: Overview of the course [Nicols, Andrade, Jaeger]. Introductions. Syllabus and Course Plan. Expections. Options for seminar credit.
• Week 2: Rome and the Semitic Peoples of theMediterranean [Andrade]. Phoenicians of the western Mediterranean; Carthage and Punic/Berber North Africa before 264 BCE; indigenous cultures in North Africa under Roman rule. Professor Andrade has sent you the assigned reading as PDFs in an email sent through Blackboard. Please check your email for the documents.
  • Online readings
  • Poenulus [selections]
• Week 3: Historiography of the Wars [Jaeger]. Livy's account of the Second Punic War is his literary masterpiece and deserves as much attention as Vergil's Aeneid. An updated Handout for this session.
• Week 4: Rome and the Mediterranean World [Nicols].
  • Rome in Italy, the Samnite Wars, the war against Pyrrhus, the Mamertines and relations to the states of Sicily. A chronological table comparing constitutional change and the Roman system of alliances in Italy. The most important documents are given in the Roman Civilization sourcebook in these sections:
    • §§14 and 16: on the character of Rome's less urbanized enemies
    • §19: unconditional surrender; but §§ 20 and 21: on treaties. => patronage, gift.
    • § 22: incorporation
    • §13 The treaties with Carthage
• Week 5: Chronology and Geography of the Wars [Nicols].
  • Mostly a geographical and anthropological excusus focusing on territory, resources, diplomacy, and allies.
  • One hour midterm examination: Short answer essays on the subjects covered to date.

----Professor Blum arrives and will lead the class for the balance of the term--

• Week 6 The First Punic War:
  • Feb. 10: The origins of the First Punic War The outbreak of the war in 264 is difficult to understand, given the fact that Rome and Carthage had had treaties before that date recognizing ‘peaceful co-existence’, and that against Pyrrhus (c. 280 to 274 BC in Italy and on Sicily), both powers had been even allies. In class, we will discuss several theories trying to explain, how a war could break out between powers presumed to be friends. Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF; in addition: Polybius 1,6-12; Polybius 3,22-26 (Penguin Edition).
  • Feb 12: The First Punic War – escalation, further events and outcome If, as some scholars think, the outbreak of the First Punic War was ‘by mistake’, we have difficulties in understanding how the war then evolved to a fight for life and death between Rome and Carthage. In class, we will examine different possible reasons for the escalation in warfare 264-241 BC and analyze, how this escalation influenced the peace regulations of 241. Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF; in addition: Lewis & Reinhold, Roman Civilization Vol 1, texts # 57 and 58; Polybius 1,58-63 (Penguin Edition).
• Week 7 The First Interwar Period:
  • Feb 17: From the peace of Lutatius to the rape of Sardinia After 241, the Romans showed a very unclear attitude towards Carthage. When at first the Carthaginians had to fight against their own mercenaries and allies in North Africa during the so-called “truceless war”, Rome even gave them help and support. But only a short time later, when the victorious Carthaginians set out to reclaim Sardinia, that had been lost to other mercenaries, Rome declared war on Carthage and took the island herself. Why did the Romans do this, and why did they do it at that very point of time (and not earlier)? In class, we will try to find a plausible explanation for Rome’s inconsistent policy between 241 and 237 BC. Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF; in addition: Lewis & Reinhold, Roman Civilization Vol 1, texts # 58 and 59.
  • Feb 19: The Carthaginians in Spain It is a very interesting fact, that the Carthaginian expansion in Spain between 237 and 220 is something completely new in Carthage’s history, namely a dynamic and expansive foreign policy. We therefore have to explain, what has happened and why. Some scholars see the events as a ‘normal compensation’ to make good for the losses after 241. In class, we will try to verify this theory and discuss the opposing possibility, that the Carthaginians – or their generals, the so-called ‘Barcids’ – by conquering Spain in reality prepared for a major revenge against Rome. Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF; in addition: Livy 21,1-2; Polybius 2,1; 2,13 (Penguin Editions).
• Week 8 The Second Punic War
  • Feb 24: The origins of the Second Punic War The question of what were the legal causes for Rome to declare war on Carthage and Hannibal in 218 BC is one of the most prominent problems discussed in Classical scholarship. Was there a treaty between Rome and Saguntum? Why didn’t the Romans help the besieged Iberian city then? And: was the so-called ‘Ebro-treaty’ a diplomatic accord that held good only as long as the individuals who struck it were alive and in power? In class, we will try to find out, how Rome’s legal position in 218 really looked like, but we will also try to understand the political reasons for the outbreak of the Second Punic War. Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF; in addition: Livy 21,5-18; Polybius 2,13; 2,36; 3,6-17; 3,20-21; 3,27-30; 3,33 (Penguin Editions).
  • Feb 26: The Second Punic War – strategies, course of events and outcome It is hard to understand why Hannibal risked a war with Rome, for the Romans had, due to their alliances, inexhaustible manpower resources. In class, we will analyze his military plan and the underlying political considerations: how did he think he could win against Rome? Hannibal’s stunning successes in battle during the first years after 218, however, reverse the problem for us: after the decisive victory at Cannae in 216 with up to 50.000 killed Roman soldiers, how was it possible that Hannibal, in the end, lost the war? Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF; in addition: Lewis & Reinhold, Roman Civilization Vol 1, texts # 60 to 67.
• Week 9 The Interwar Period in Northern Africa and in the Eastern Mediterranean between 200 and 168 BC
  • March 3: The Interwar Period in Northern Africa In 201, Rome decided not to destroy the Carhaginian state or establish a province in Northern Africa. Instead, Carthage was only weakened, and by the same token a strong Numidian state under king Massinissa was created. From this and the events in the Eastern Mediterranean at the same time (see below March 5), it becomes clear, that the Romans wanted to establish indirect rule. In class, we will try to understand this policy of indirect rule, and we will take a look on how this policy worked in North Africa during the first half of the 2nd century BC. Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF; in addition: Lewis & Reinhold, Roman Civilization Vol 1, text # 67.
  • March 5: The events in the Eastern Mediterranean between 200 and 168 BC The Eastern Mediterranean fell victim to the Romans within a very short period of time, which was probably as unexpected for the Romans, as it was for the Greeks. Analyzing the Roman Eastern policy, it becomes quite clear, that Rome also in the East pursued a policy of indirect control. In class, we will again discuss the reasons for this, and we will try to distinguish different phases of this strategy, that are obviously connected to a bunch of problems which showed up accordingly. Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF; in addition: Lewis & Reinhold, Roman Civilization Vol 1, texts # 68 to 78.
• Week 10 Third Punic War and the destruction of Carthage. Consequences and Conclusions
  • March 10: The Third Punic War and the destruction of Carthage The destruction of Carthage 50 years after the Hannibalic war had nothing to do with the first and second war. If Rome had wanted to destroy Carthage in 201, she would have done so. Why did the Romans then provoke the Third Punic War in 149 BC, and why did they hate or fear Carthage so much that they burned the city to the ground in 146 BC? In class, we will try to find a rational explanation for these events and similar behavior by the Romans during the same period of time. Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF; in addition: Lewis & Reinhold, Roman Civilization Vol 1, text # 80.
  • March 13: Consequences In the 2nd century BC, as a result of the shortcomings of Roman Eastern policy, an intellectual opposition against Rome developed in the Hellenistic world. Famous Greek philosophers accused the Romans to be robbers and criminals and to have fought only unjust wars. This was a shock especially for the Roman nobles, who cherished Hellenistic culture as superior. In class, we will examine how this situation influenced the Roman historiography at this time, and how the discourse on ‘Roman imperialism’ in the long run changed the Roman attitudes towards their own Empire and their subjects in a way which opened up the path to the famous Romanization of the Mediterranean World in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Reading: Reading material made available in advance as a PDF.