HIST 388: Topics in European History
HIST 388-004: Design of Cities: Rome, Pompeii, and Ostia
(Spring 2026)
04:30 PM to 07:10 PM M
Art & Design Building L008
Section Information for Spring 2026
The study of ancient cities provides a wide-ranging and many-textured approach to understanding Roman civilization, which has had a tremendous impact on Western European and North American architecture, art, law and literature. In this course, we will focus on the Roman urban environment from infrastructure and public buildings to private life and entertainment. We will explore three ancient urban environments: Rome, Pompeii, and Ostia. As the capital of the Roman political body—whether Republic or Empire—Rome set the standards for the architectural building types and styles emulated in other cities. Since its rediscovery over 200 years ago, the Roman city of Pompeii has fascinated the modern world. This minor Roman town, entombed by a volcanic eruption in AD 79, has fired the imagination of both scholars and artists. As an example of Roman civilization, the unparalleled physical remains of Pompeii give us a fuller view into urban life in a Roman city and complement the monument-heavy capital. Ostia, as Rome’s port city, preserves socio-economic data that is often missing from the other two cities. There will be required readings. Exams and written assignments will comprise the required graded material for the course. Visual analysis and critical reading of both primary ancient sources and modern scholarship will play significant roles in our multi-disciplinary approach to interpreting this familiar yet “foreign” culture.
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Course Information from the University Catalog
Credits: 3
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
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