Values and Culture in the Roman World

Rome's geographical reach was greater than that of any political entity that has existed in the Old World before or since. The 100 million-odd people who lived within the imperial boundaries spoke hundreds of languages, worshipped thousand of different gods, ate, dressed, married and buried their dead in countless ways. Yet that diversity of cultures seemed to create no political instability, no social tensions and the Caesars never seem to have worried whether the eternal city was a salad bowl or a melting pot. This seminar will explore how common values co-existed with diverse customs in antiquity, and why we find it so difficult to replicate that combination today.