La actual situación de la investigación en las llamadas ciencias humanas y sociales presenta un curioso panorama que tiene, como todo hoy, su paradoja. Hay, de un lado, un incremento exponencial del volumen de la producción científica en todos los órdenes (especializada o divulgación de más o menos calidad), y, de otro, una exigencia cada vez más perentoria de justificación de los estudios, una exigencia que afecta especialmente a las llamadas Humanidades. Bajo la doble presión de la proliferación y la justificación, los géneros ya venerables de la literatura académica que servían como invitación y/o introducción a los diferentes estudios...

The chapter is a narratological examination of three excursus in Ammianus' Res Gestae, that explain astronomical phenomena, and indirectly deal with Constantius' and Jovian's responses to premonitory signs. The historian implicitly contrasts them with Julian's reaction to divination, especially during the Persian campaign of 363. Those sections further specify the authorial voice of the historian and shape the narrator's idea of emperorship. The enquiry also underscores that Julian's centrality in Ammianus' narrative is disclosed in contrast with the other imperial characters: so, the depiction of Constantius II, Jovian, Valentinian, and Valens requires that of Julian, whereas the narrative of Julian only makes full sense in the interaction with the other characters

Visits by Roman emperors provided provincials with exceptional opportunities to present their pleas. Epigraphic evidence from the high imperial period and particularly the 3rd century CE sheds light on this process of petition and response. The aim of the present paper is to study these inscriptions in order to understand the application and reception of Roman justice in the eastern provinces of the empire. Particular attention is devoted to noteworthy testimonies, such as the bilingual minutes from Dmeir (Syria), the petition of Skaptopara in Thrace, and related texts from Lydia. The essay will argue that the presence and legally binding decisions of emperors such as Diocletian could transform the perception of Roman rule among local populations, including the Jews.

Cicero regards character education both as a main goal of the intellectual life and as an important basis for rhetorical training of the young elite, in line with the Isocratean oratorical tradition of liberal arts. In contrast, several points from his works belonging to different periods and literary genres underscore that liberal studies are suitable for any age. This chapter analyses how Cicero stresses in three of his works (In defence of the poet Archias, On the orator and On old age) that character education for the good man, i.e. the ideal orator and philosopher engaged in public life, is not only a task for initial stages of instruction but also should encompass a lifelong habit of cultivating intellectual and moral virtue. Cicero¿s viewpoints in this respect could shed some light on the aims of contemporary core curricula, the mission of teachers involved in such programs and recent debate on the habits of lifelong learning.

Partiendo de los retos, resultados y dificultades encontradas por el autor al impartir una asignatura de latín utilizando el llamado ¿método activo¿, el capítulo plantea reflexiones sobre las ventajas e inconvenientes de este enfoque metodológico, plantea las dificultades específicas que se plantean en el contexto de los grados de nueva creación y añade algunos consejos para quien quiera ponerlo en práctica. Palabra sclave: Didáctica de la Lengua Latina, Aprendizaje de las lenguas, Metodo inductivo-contextual, Método comunicativo. Abstract - Based on the challenges, results and difficulties encountered by the author in his own experience of imparting a Latin subject using the so-called 'active method', this chapter presents reflections on the advantages and disadvantages of this methodological approach, describes the specific difficulties of this methodology at the University level, and adds some practical advice for those who want to experiment with it. Key Words: Didactics of Latin Language, Language acquisition, Inductive- contextual method, Communicative method.