By Elise Benton, MSc Classics & Ancient History 2024
When I first heard of the Roman Mobilities course during the fall semester, I thought it sounded interesting. I mean, a class about how the Roman Empire moved throughout Eurasia and how it changed and adapted in different ways, what’s not to love? Then learning that at the end of the class, we were going to Romania for a week, that’s what had me applying and I’m not ashamed to admit that. But I gained so much more from the class than that trip.
Group picture of students and professors on last day in Romania
First and foremost, what is CIVIS? CIVIS is an alliance between 11 universities in Europe and North Africa, including University of Glasgow. Students are able to take online classes with peers and professors from other universities. For the Roman Mobilities course, every class was taught by a different instructor focusing on a different aspect of mobility in the Roman Empire. There were students from all over, though Glasgow came in strong with 6 students (the most of any university). And it was not just classics postgrads who made up the course, but a wide spread of majors and ages. One of the girls in my group was studying math education and another student was a law student.
The Glaswegian Delegation
Left to Right: Miquel, Dr. Omissi, Gaby, Elise (me), McKinley, Christina, Prof. Fox
Lecture topics ranged from dance and movement in the Roman Empire to how language moved and evolved throughout the provinces. At the end of the course, we were split into groups and made a research poster on a topic of our choice that we presented in Romania. My group focused on the Imperial Cult in the Roman Empire, with students from Glasgow, France, Germany, and Spain. And we did a stellar job, if I do say so myself.
My group’s poster on Imperial Cults, snazzy right?
The six of us from Glasgow were fortunate enough to be given a grant for travel expenses, otherwise I know I would not have been able to go on the trip. The flight from Glasgow to Bucharest, Romania was no joke, but well worth it. Our base of operation was the University of Bucharest and we stayed on campus while we were in the city. However, our lectures were held in the beautiful botanical gardens, which I will take over a traditional classroom every time. We had lectures nearly every day of the trip, taught by the instructors who accompanied us. It was surreal to listen to a lecture about the lost city of Istria while standing in the archaeological site. Speaking of which, we spent most of the trip visiting various museums and archaeological digs.
Group picture at one of the ruins; it was lightly raining the entire time we were there and we Glaswegians were the only ones who didn’t bother with umbrellas.
No matter how long I have been studying ancient history and classics, I am still in awe whenever I see ruins and artifacts. This might be because I’m American, where nothing is older than the 1880s. For me, visiting all these sites was the best part of the trip. To be able to step into history and walk amongst the stone that once housed hundreds was a humbling and precious experience.
So, would I recommend the CIVIS Roman Mobilities course? Hell yeah, I would even take it again. The lectures were interesting and engaging, and to be able to learn and work with others from different universities was an experience I would never have had otherwise. And Romania, while having temperamental weather, was rich and beautiful. Though rumor has it that the trip for 2025 is to Glasgow, so at least you won’t have to travel far.