A Legacy of Power & Beauty: Italy from Ancient...
A Legacy of Power and Beauty: Italy from Ancient Rome to the Renaissance
Ross King
Across three sessions, this course explores Italy’s place at the epicenter of Western civilization. From the heart of the Roman Empire to the seat of the papacy and the cradle of the Renaissance, Italy played a vital role in shaping religious, intellectual, and artistic thought across more than 2,000 years. Beginning with Ancient Rome, we explore how this “Eternal City” set enduring principles of governance, architecture, and cultural authority that would echo through the ages. When the empire fell, Italy splintered into fiefdoms, republics, and city-states—each vying for power, yet unified by a shared geography and cultural legacy.
The medieval period saw a rich tapestry of rivalries and alliances, where feudal lords, papal rulers, and merchant dynasties contended for influence, paving the way for a cultural rebirth that began in the flourishing northern city-states. During the Renaissance, Italian creativity and innovation soared to dazzling heights as figures like Brunelleschi, Leonardo, and Michelangelo, inspired by classical ideals, revolutionized art, science, and philosophy.
Through the lens of Italy’s unique political and cultural landscape, we shall see how each period’s achievements contributed to an evolving vision of beauty, power, and human potential—cementing Italy’s role at the spiritual and cultural heart of the West.
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LECTURE 1 "The Eternal City: The Epic of Ancient Rome"
This class will examine the dramatic history of Ancient Rome, from its mythical founding to its cataclysmic fall in 476 AD. We’ll explore epic moments like the Punic Wars, the gripping power plays of Julius Caesar, and the grandeur of Augustus, punctuated by the notorious reigns of the “bad emper...
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LECTURE 2 "Echoes of Rome: Faith, Feudalism, and the Medieval Imagination"
This session journeys into medieval Europe, where Rome’s legacy was reshaped by Christian ideals, Gothic cathedrals, and the stirring ambition to recreate Rome’s grandeur. From Theoderic and Charlemagne’s ambitious revivals to the thriving cities of Florence and Venice, we’ll examine how feudalis...
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LECTURE 3 "The Age of Genius: Art and Innovation in the Renaissance"
In this class, we’ll immerse ourselves in the Renaissance, an age of rediscovery and innovation that breathed new life into art, science and politics. We’ll meet Cosimo de’ Medici and the creative geniuses—Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Masaccio, Leonardo, Michelangelo—whose revolutionary work in perspe...
