Week One

Introduction; Rome in the Middle East

Cardo Maximus, Palmyra, Syria

Read any three pieces below; fill out the form and submit for ONE of the three you read - due Sunday January 16.  The other pieces you read will be useful to you on the exams.

• Kennedy , Rome's Desert Frontier: 24-46. Brief study guide to the reading in Kennedy. I provide here, and for each of the assigned readings, a study guide which you should consult prior to reading the item. All of the readings I make available on the WEB should be read IN ONE SITTING--they are about one particular issue, or are providing a well-presented point of view on one issue. They cannot be understood if read in small "chunks". At the end of each reading, I provide a FORM which asks you to respond to the reading--often in the form of a question or questions. You should make your response after finishing the reading, and submit it to me by clicking on the SUBMIT button. I will reply to your submission, most often by the following Tuesday, with my assessment.
  
• Millar , The Roman Near East: selections from Chapter 6.  Brief Study Guide to the reading in Millar. See information above about instructions.
  
• Eadie , "Transformation of the Eastern Frontier", pp. 72-82. Study Guide for Eadie .
  
• Richard N. Frye , "Alexander and the Heritage of Hellenism," Study Guide for Frye .
• Whittaker , "Frontiers and Growth of Empire," chpt. 2 of his Frontiers of the Roman Empire, 1994. Study guide for Whittaker .
  
  
• An interesting article recently appeared in the New York Times about Middle Eastern trade in this period, focusing on archeological discoveries in South Arabia and what they tell us about the trade in frankincense and myrrh .
• Another article from the New York Times on the archaeological work being undertaken in the harbor of Alexandria .