LS 2018/19:

1. Introduction - the overview of events up until the onset of the Principate - through what means the Romans achieved supremacy in Italy and, in turn, in almost the whole Mediterranean.
2. What life was like in the Roman Republic (the social stratification, urban vs. rural areas, etc.).
3. Octavius - Octavianus - Augustus: What formed his character and why it was him to reintroduce the Romans to monarchy after all. Augustus' legacy for his political successors.
4. The twists in politics of the first phase of the Principate (up until the Severan dynasty), the expansion of the borders, the zenith of power during the Adoptive Emperors' reigns.
5. The great and protracted overall crisis: Its causes, various attempts at fixing it, the decadence of urban elites, the rise of power of the army and its influence on politics on (also) the provincial level, the growth of power of provincial governors, the Pagan monotheism, the struggles to restore a stable central authority and save the empire from falling apart, the persecution of Christians.
6. The Dominate until 395 CE - one of the crucial transitional periods of world history.
7. The Dominate - the ultimate breakup of the Roman Empire into the Western (until 476 CE) and the Eastern part (until 1453 CE).
8. Why did the Roman East survive for almost a another whole millenium?
9. Why have the Christians in the Empire been recognized as a subversive element despite becoming the heirs and keepers of the tradition of Antiquity?