Ancient history dissertation help

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to come up with a dissertation topic, and I'm thinking of the Roman Republic or Augustus, but I just have no idea where to even start coming up with an actual topic.
It has to be really narrow, and I'd probably like to concentrate on the political side of things, perhaps in regards to the republic, concentrating on a particular person or significant event?

Apparently our dissertation has to be something you can talk very analytically about - so perhaps asessing the influence or importance of one thing on another?

It would have been helpful if my department would have let me see previous examples of titles just so I could get a better idea of what they want, but I guess I'm just asking for anyone to maybe suggest a vague topic area at least?

Any ideas would be so unbelievably appreciated.

xxxx

Reply 1

myriadofatoms

Hello, I do Ancient History as an AS/A2 level. If you have the liberty of choosing Greek history I would suggest: 'What impact did Pericles have on Athenian and Hellenic matters as leader?'

Reply 2

giella

15

I did a Heroes module as my comparative special subject in third year at York. We covered Roman heroes at one point. You could do a study of a Roman hero or an emperor and consider whether your chosen individual [key primary sources] conforms to heroic ideals etc. You fill up a whole chapter space on the historiography of classical heroes and talk about whether there was an ideal as such. Your conclusion could be fantastic. If I could go back and do mine all over again...well, I did general history but it would be perfect for Ancient History.

Reply 3

username149848

1

One particular person would be rather difficult, unless it were someone as prominent as an Augustus, and even then there is already a lot of stuff on him and others. Maybe do an aspect of the period? Provincial Corruption under the Principate could examine how, if at all, the new imperial administration affected provincial governance. Political Gestures under the Early Emperors could look into the language, scope, source and direction of political appeals, senatorial decrees and other such 'public relations stunts' (?) and how they were changed under Augustus and his successors when compared to the first century BCE. You could even do a group of people: Freemen of Rome, 44 BCE-17 CE or Equestrian Rights under X. The point of the dissertation is to be creative!

Reply 4

Brenna

6

Tiberius from the works of tacitus is quite interesting but it's been done...

Reply 5

Benus Maximus

I get that this page is like 5 years old, anyways...
I've got a piece of coursework/dissertation in which I will be covering the period from the start of the 1st Punic War (264BC) to the end of the 3rd Punic War (146BC) also aiming to cover the 3 Macedonian Wars and the war against Antiochus III The Great. Trouble is though, I need a focused question that will enable me to unleash loads of knowledge of the wars, military and the ancient world at that time, without it turning into a narrative. Does anyone have any suggestions for questions?

Thanks :smile:

Reply 6

ageshallnot

21

Original post by Benus Maximus

I get that this page is like 5 years old, anyways...
I've got a piece of coursework/dissertation in which I will be covering the period from the start of the 1st Punic War (264BC) to the end of the 3rd Punic War (146BC) also aiming to cover the 3 Macedonian Wars and the war against Antiochus III The Great. Trouble is though, I need a focused question that will enable me to unleash loads of knowledge of the wars, military and the ancient world at that time, without it turning into a narrative. Does anyone have any suggestions for questions?

Thanks :smile:

Something looking at what the Romans learned from these wars and how they adapted according to circumstance? Perhaps compared to their opponents?

Reply 7

Benus Maximus

Thanks Ageshallnot, but I've decided to focus on the big historians' debate about the nature of Rome's expansion. Was it an accidental empire? Where her foreign policies defencive by their aggression? Where they only defending their early Italian allies? Looking definately forward to it (although I got the idea from a friend who was doing a question similar to this for his PHD!)

Reply 8

ageshallnot

21

Original post by Benus Maximus

Thanks Ageshallnot, but I've decided to focus on the big historians' debate about the nature of Rome's expansion. Was it an accidental empire? Where her foreign policies defencive by their aggression? Where they only defending their early Italian allies? Looking definately forward to it (although I got the idea from a friend who was doing a question similar to this for his PHD!)

Interesting. Who holds the 'accidental empire' stance?

Reply 9

Benus Maximus

I think Badian argues for defensive imperialism where Rome gained the empire accidentally simply because she was defending allies and her own interests from enemies like Carthage and Antiochus III

Ancient history dissertation help

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