Imagine yourself in Rome. What do you see beyond the ruins of an ancient city? In the fourteenth century the city of over one million ancient Roman inhabitants had shrunk to a paltry population of less than twenty thousand. With the return of the papacy in the fifteenth century the rebuilding and revival of Rome began in earnest. By the late sixteenth century it was the center of global missions, an expanding state, and a nascent tourist industry. This course explores the history of the "Eternal City" from the late Middle Ages through the age of the Grand Tour. It examines the political, diplomatic, and religious history of the papacy, Roman society and cultural life, the everyday world of Roman citizens, the relationship between the city and the surrounding countryside, the material transformation of Rome as a city, and its meaning for foreigners.
4-5 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
Imagine yourself in Rome. What do you see beyond the ruins of an ancient city? In the fourteenth century the city of over one million ancient Roman inhabitants had shrunk to a paltry population of less than twenty thousand. With the return of the papacy in the fifteenth century the rebuilding and revival of Rome began in earnest. By the late sixteenth century it was the center of global missions, an expanding state, and a nascent tourist industry. This course explores the history of the "Eternal City" from the late Middle Ages through the age of the Grand Tour. It examines the political, diplomatic, and religious history of the papacy, Roman society and cultural life, the everyday world of Roman citizens, the relationship between the city and the surrounding countryside, the material transformation of Rome as a city, and its meaning for foreigners.
Offered in Winter 2027 at Stanford University.