This course is an introduction to Roman culture and society in ten cities and ten texts. Each city will introduce us to aspects of Roman life, including politics, identity, philosophy, gender, sexuality, slavery, in the period between 500 BCE and c.350 CE and across the regions of the Roman empire. The ten texts include epic poems, historical biographies, comic and romantic tales, and attacks on political and religious enemies. The cities and the texts will help us think about the kinds of evidence we have for ancient Rome. We will pay particular attention to both systems of oppression and cultural pluralism and marginalized experiences in the Roman world. We will also think about why modern culture remains so fascinated with Rome: how often do you think about the Roman Empire?