This course examines the origins of Rome, the quintessential city in the Western experience. It considers both the literary and archaeological evidence for the earliest periods of the city�s occupation, and the challenges involved in using and combining these two quite different forms of evidence. Particular attention will be given to recent archaeological discoveries and the ways in which these are transforming our understanding of early Rome. The course also examines the ways in which people in later periods � both in antiquity and in more recent times - have drawn on their knowledge of early Rome for a variety of different purposes, ranging from politics, to scholarship, to the arts. No knowledge of Greek or Latin required.