The Roman East and the Silk Roads

In this class you will learn about Roman encounters with the histories and peoples of the Middle East. In the first weeks, you will think about the legacy of Alexander the Great and the Macedonians in the Middle East and Central Asia. Then you will examine the shape and the devastating effects of Roman imperialism in the Middle East, as described by the peoples who experienced it. In the third part of the course, you will consider the limits of Roman expansion that were imposed by Iran's Parthian horse-lords. Finally, you will analyze how the Roman, Parthian, and Han empires became entangled across the Silk Roads, before the system collapsed.