An introduction to the civilization of the ancient Romans. Topics such as Rome?s legends of male and female virtue, Augustus?s ingenious transformation of the republic into a monarchy, gladiators and chariot racing, slavery, Rome and the Christians, and the competing philosophical systems of Stoicism and Epicureanism will be explored through literary texts and archaeological remains. Encounter a range of sources from Livy, Virgil, and Seneca to monuments of the emperors, and examine the complex legacies of Roman culture across time.