University Scholar Series: Jonathan Roth

Roman Warfare On April 13, 2011 Jonathan Roth spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Jonathan Roth is a Professor in the History Department at SJSU. In this seminar, he examines the evolution of Roman war over its thousand-year history. He highlights the changing arms and equipment of the soldiers, unit organization and command structure, and the wars and battles of each era.https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/uss/1008/thumbnail.jp

Spenser and the Historical Revolution: Briton Moniments and the Problem of Roman Britain

Curran argues that, since Roman Britain is a key to understanding the historiographical debates of Edmund Spenser\u27s time, the Roman Britain section of Briton Moniments in The Faerie Queene needs to be examined. It is here that Spenser acknowledged the direction historiography was taking, and saw how this new trend altered the relation between history and glory

Buried Treasure: some lesser-known items in the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

Preprint of an article written in 1992 by Paul Norman (then Senior Assistant Librarian at IALS) describing some rare and lesser-known works in the Roman law, Roman-Dutch law and English law collections of IALS Library. The paper gives some bibliographic history for the works described as well as context on their original acquisition and significance to legal researchers

On the orientation of Roman towns in Italy

As is well known, several Roman sources report on the existence of a town foundation ritual, inherited from the Etruscans, which allegedly included astronomical references. However, the possible existence of astronomical orientations in the layout of Roman towns has never been tackled in a systematic way. As a first step in this direction, the orientation of virtually all Roman towns in Italy (38 cities) is studied here. Non-random orientation patterns emerge from these data, aiming at further research in this field.Comment: Archaeoastronomy/History of astronomy; 11 pages, 3 figure

Gades and the Mediterranean: a Process of Integration

The impetus for this paper is to present possible contributions of the Network Theory approach to the analysis of the Roman presence in Turdetania by the end of the 1st millennium BC. Firstly, we discuss how some written sources, such as Strabo’s Geography, describe this region and how the countryside and coastal areas are mentioned. Secondly, we present how contemporary historiography makes use of Network Theory to investigate numerous issues of Ancient History. Finally, we point out a proposal for Social Network Analysis (SNA) to questions regarding Turdetania before and after Roman occupation

Tacitus, Stoic Exempla , And The Praecipuum Munus Annalium

Tacitus\u27 claim that history should inspire good deeds and deter bad ones (Annals 3.65) should be taken seriously: his exempla are supposed to help his readers think through their own moral difficulties. This approach to history is found in historians with clear connections to Stoicism, and in Stoic philosophers like Seneca. It is no coincidence that Tacitus is particularly interested in the behavior of Stoics like Thrasea Paetus, Barea Soranus, and Seneca himself. They, and even non-Stoic characters like Epicharis and Petronius, exemplify the behavior necessary if Roman freedom was to survive the monarchy

The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology: Characters and Collections

The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology first opened its doors in 1915, and since then has attracted visitors from all over the world as well as providing valuable teaching resources. Named after its founder, the pioneering archaeologist Flinders Petrie, the Museum holds more than 80,000 objects and is one of the largest and finest collections of Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology in the world. Richly illustrated and engagingly written, the book moves back and forth between recent history and the ancient past, between objects and people. Experts discuss the discovery, history and care of key objects in the collections such as the Koptos lions and Roman era panel portraits. The rich and varied history of the Petrie Museum is revealed by the secrets that sit on its shelves

1. Rome: Republic and Empire

It is believed that about the same time certain barbarian people were entering Greece from the north, others came into the Italian peninsula from the same direction. A fusion with earlier inhabitants similar to that which took place in Greece produced the Italian people of recorded history. In terms of mountains, soil, mineral resources, and climate, there were similarities between the two countries, with Italy in general being the more favored. There was a significant difference: the relative lack of navigable rivers and natural harbors offered much less inducement for trade and commerce than was the case in Greece. Throughout Roman history, agriculture remained much more basic to the Italian economy than to the Greek. [excerpt