CL 787SEM - Topics Classical Arch

The Roman Countryside - Rome was throughout its history largely a rural society, but our literary sources are little concerned with life in the countryside. This seminar will look at how we can reconstruct the history of the Roman countryside with special emphasis on Italy and the Western Roman Provinces. Various archaeological techniques such as survey, remote sensing and aerial photography will be considered. However, the uses of art history and literary analysis will also be considered. (Dyson) The History of Classical Archaeology - This course will explore the development of Classical Archaeology as a discipline from its origins in the Italian Renaissance to the professionalism of today. It will look at archaeology and the antiquarian tradition, archaeology and neo-classicism, the history of collecting, and archaeology and nationalism, and archaeology and the ideologies of fascism and Nazism. For each era classical archaeology will be considered in relation to broader, cultural, intellectual, and political developments. (Dyson) Roman Visual Culture - This seminar will focus on the application of different art historical techniques to the major visual monuments of ancient Rome. Important areas of investigation will be Roman portraiture, Roman wall painting, and Roman relief sculpture. The history of the changing interpretation of Roman art as well as current models of interpretation will be studied. (Dyson) Working with Roman Antiquities - This class explores how objects found in excavations and in museum collections (antiquities) can be used to reconstruct aspects of ancient daily life. It focuses specifically on the material culture of the Roman world. A series of lectures will cover the major types of antiquities from the Roman world and the technology that produced them: pottery, coins, oil lamps, bronzes, writing utensils, weapons, fibulae, jewelry etc. A more theoretical set of lectures will illustrate how this evidence is used by classical archaeologists with concrete examples. Other topics include scientific approaches to material culture, legal and ethical issues, and the strategies employed by European museums and archaeological services in dealing with portable heritage.

Credits: 3