FOUNDATIONS OF HISTORY OF ANCIENT SICILY
Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher:
ENNIO GIUSEPPE AGATINO BIONDI
Expected Learning Outcomes
1) Knowledge and understanding: the
student will have to understand and interpret the fundamental dynamics of Greek
history through the study of the main sources (literary texts, papyri,
inscriptions, archaeological remains,
iconographic finds, numismatic documents) coming from the eastern and western
Mediterranean and distributed in a large time span from the Archaic Greek
History to the fall oh the Roman Empire.
2) Applying knowledge and understanding:
the student must be able to connect the theoretical and methodological contents
learned with the interpretation of past, present and future events and
processes, and to use methodologies appropriate to the educational objectives.
3) Making judgements: the student will
acquire the ability to formulate opinions, in-depth opinions and critical
rethinking of the contents learned.
4) Communication skills: The analysis
of the foundations of the discipline will allow the student to confront each
other on a dialogical level with different interlocutors (specialists or not),
motivate, in oral and written form, objectives, procedures and methodologies,
acquiring awareness of the expressive means of the sectoral languages.
5) Learning skills: the student will
perfect his skills in the study of complex topics will make him able to improve
his learning skills and use of innovative methodologies to deal with new
problems.
Course Structure
Frontal lessons, with the reading of selected literary and epigraphic
testimonies, for the purpose of deepening the disciplinary contents acquired on
a manual basis.
Attendance of Lessons
Attendance is not compulsory
Detailed Course Content
reek colonization in Sicily: Dorian and Ionic colonies
Lawgivers and early tyrants
The lordships: Dinomenides and Emmenides
The Carthaginians in Sicily
Syracuse and the democracy
Ducetius
Athens and Sicily
Dionysius the Elder and his successors
The restoration of Timoleon
Agathocles’ reign
Pyrrhus in Sicily
Hieron II
The Punic wars in Sicily
The Roman province of Sicily: administration, city
organization and tax system
The island between II and I centuries BC
The servile revolts
Verres and the Verrines
Ius Latii and Roman citizenship to Sicilian cities
Sextus Pompey and Sicily
The Augustan era in Sicily
Administrative status of Sicilian cities in the
imperial era
Sicily between I and II centuries AD: wheat
importance, building renovation; the villas
The Severian era
Christianity
The large estates in Sicily during the empire
Late antique villas
The
barbarian invasions
Textbook Information
Module
1 (3 cfu): Greek Sicily
Introductory
text: L. Braccesi, G. Millino, La Sicilia greca, Rome 2000 (rist. 2009), pp.
237.
Module
2 (2 cfu): Roman Sicily.
Introductory
text: C. Soraci, La Sicilia romana. Secc. III a.C. – V d.C., Roma 2016, pp.
175.
Module 3 (1 cfu): Sicily in the age of Verres
Reading and historical commentary of Cicero,
In Gaium Verrem actionis secundae, II, 1-50.
Text: choice of the student.
Please remember that in compliance with art 171
L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or
journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.
For further information on sanctions and regulations
concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee
Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione
Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian
Association on Copyright).
All
the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.
VERSIONE IN ITALIANO