Sparta

What do these excerpts from The Ancient Customs of the Spartans emphasize about Spartan culture? How does this document compare to the other sources we have utilized to study ancient cultures? Who was Plutarch? Is there any reason to question his credibility as an evaluator of Spartan society

Pericles

What elements of Pericles' character does this biography stress? What else can this text tell us about Athenian society?
Once again, consider Plutarch's reliability as a source of information. Do any different concerns arise from his depiction of Pericles than from his description of ancient Sparta? If so, what are they? Why might documents from ancient Greece raise concerns that did not occur in our investigations of more ancient societies?

Twelve Tables

What are the primary concerns about Roman society revealed in this document? On what types of relationships do these laws particularly focus?
How does this legal code compare with earlier codes such as Hammurabi or the Lawbook of Manu? What new concerns, if any, appear in this text that did not appear to concern the lawmakers or philosophers of more ancient cultures?

Archaeology of Ancient Rome

Scroll through these pages to learn how medieval scholars began to examine the archaeology of ancient Rome. What sources did they use? What did they learn about ancient Rome from these sources?

Mithras

According to this author, what do scholars know about Mithraism? What resources have they found to study this mystery religion? What has this knowledge taught them about Roman culture? Has it taught them anything about early Christianity? If so, what?

Slavery in the Roman Republic

Read the selections on slavery by the playwright Plautus. Based on his description of Roman slavery, what methods did slaves use to resist their masters short of open revolt?
Review the selection from Plutarch's Life of Crassus. Why did the gladiators revolt? Based on this reading, were violent slave uprisings common in the Roman world?