Comic plays are the earliest complete literary texts we have from Rome, and the comedies of the mid-Republican poet Plautus have been enormously influential on European drama. In this lecture we look at what Plautus takes from Greek New Comedy, what is especially Roman about his plays, and how he plays with convention in the Pseudolus. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Rome's growing power in the Mediterranean during the mid-Republic (4th to 2nd centuries BCE) gave it wealth, luxury goods and access to new cultures. This lecture will investigate the history of the mid-Republic and how this affected early Roman literature, particularly the comic drama of Plautus. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Rome's growing power in the Mediterranean during the mid-Republic (4th to 2nd centuries BCE) gave it wealth, luxury goods and access to new cultures. This lecture will investigate the history of the mid-Republic and how this affected early Roman literature, particularly the comic drama of Plautus. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

This lecture looks at Roman slavery and power structures during the Roman Republic. Although the foundation of the Republic was represented by the Romans as an attempt to overthrow tyranny, Republican government clearly favoured rule by the elite. At the other end of the social scale, slaves were the most clearly excluded from power and even personal autonomy. We explore the extent to which we can determine what a slave's life might have been like. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

This lecture looks at Roman slavery and power structures during the Roman Republic. Although the foundation of the Republic was represented by the Romans as an attempt to overthrow tyranny, Republican government clearly favoured rule by the elite. At the other end of the social scale, slaves were the most clearly excluded from power and even personal autonomy. We explore the extent to which we can determine what a slave's life might have been like. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

This lecture will explore the stories which Romans believed formed their earliest history, including the myth of Romulus and Remus, the arrival of Aeneas from Troy, and the kings of Rome. As we shall see, these tales can tell us a great deal about the Romans' own sense of identity, and, in particular the virtues and values they considered significant. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

This lecture will explore the stories which Romans believed formed their earliest history, including the myth of Romulus and Remus, the arrival of Aeneas from Troy, and the kings of Rome. As we shall see, these tales can tell us a great deal about the Romans' own sense of identity, and, in particular the virtues and values they considered significant. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

The disposal and commemoration of the dead gives us significant insight into a society. This is particularly true of the Romans, who venerated their ancestors and kept images of them in their homes. Funerary monuments were an indicator of wealth, status and aspiration for both elites and freedmen, but slaves are almost entirely excluded from the record - in death as in life. Copyright 2012 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

The disposal and commemoration of the dead gives us significant insight into a society. This is particularly true of the Romans, who venerated their ancestors and kept images of them in their homes. Funerary monuments were an indicator of wealth, status and aspiration for both elites and freedmen, but slaves are almost entirely excluded from the record - in death as in life. Copyright 2012 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.