Roman History Through Art and Archaeology
| Module title | Roman History Through Art and Archaeology |
|---|---|
| Module code | CLAM116 |
| Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Barbara Borg (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
Module description
This module looks at the art and archaeology of the Roman world as exciting and methodologically challenging sources contributing to a better understanding of its social, cultural, and economic history. Subjects will be chosen from a wide range of options including the art and archaeology of Rome including its provinces as well as early Italy, which will be analysed and discussed according to current methodological approaches, and with a view to key debates in the field.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module provides a framework for critical discussion of historical and socio-cultural themes through the analysis and interpretation of Roman material and visual culture as well as other forms of archaeological evidence. It addresses key debates on the construction and transformation of ancient communities, exploring notions of identity, cult, language, economy as well as forms of settlement and political organisation. A closer look at Roman art and architecture provides the basis for an examination of the ancient viewer, representations of the self and 'other', as well as ways of reading image and space. Overall the course aims to give you the tools to access those histories and ideologies which appear unattainable through the literary sources alone, allowing for the expansion of existing narratives and challenging the underlying models which inform our understanding of key historical and cultural processes and constructs.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Gain a better understanding of Roman culture through the study of archaeological and visual sources
- 2. Understand and appreciate the qualities and methods of using material and visual culture
- 3. Work critically with different types of material/archaeological evidence, and to use them in effective combination as a tool of historical and socio-cultural analysis and reconstruction
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Collate and analyse widely different types of evidence, much of which is incomplete and ambiguous in its significance
- 5. Draw independent inferences about the relationship of myth to its cultural and historical context
- 6. Reflect critically on the origins, development and significance of traditional stories in one's own and another culture
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Apply key bibliographical skills, the latest forms of information retrieval, as well as word-processing skills
- 8. Think autonomously and analytically on the basis of written and visual sources and secondary literature
- 9. Construct and defend a sustained argument (both in written form and orally)
- 10. Work with instructor and peers in an independent, constructive and responsive way
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
Topics chosen from the following:
- Archeo-Historical Section
- Material culture and historical questions
- Approaches and Theories of interpretation
- Explaining change: Crisis, Growth, Migration
- New Trends in the field
- Visual Culture and Society
- Visual Theory and History of Viewing
- Reading Imagery in Roman culture
- The visual culture of gender in Roman culture
- Representations of Foreigners and ‘the Other’
- Interpreting the Built Environment
- Reception of Classical imagery in the West 1500 today
- Museology
- Methods and Tools
- Excavation Techniques
- Archaeological Surveys: The assets and the dangers
- Organic Material
- Epigraphic Evidence
- Museology and display
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 135 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 15 | Teaching and seminars |
| Guided independent study | 135 | Private study and class preparation |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | 20 | c. 15-20 mins | 1-10 | Mark; written and oral feedback |
| Essay | 80 | 4000 words | 1-9 | Mark; written and oral feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | Essay | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Essay | Essay | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- S.E. Alcock et al. (eds), Empires. Perspectives from Archaeology and History (Cambridge 2001).
- G. Barker, A Mediterranean Valley (Leicester 1995).
- M. Biddiss, M. Wyke (eds), The uses and abuses of Antiquity (Berne 1999).
- B.E. Borg, Roman Tombs and the Art of Commemoration: Contextual Approaches to Funerary Customs in the Second Century CE (Cambridge 2019)
- R. Brandt, L. Karlsson, From Huts to Houses transformations of Ancient Societies (1997/ 2001).
- E. Chilton (ed.), Material Meanings. Critical approaches to the interpretation of material culture (Salt Lake City 1999).
- J. Elsner, Art and the Roman Viewer (Cambridge 1995).
- D. Fredrick, The Roman Gaze. Vision Power and the Body (Baltimore, London 2002).
- E. Gombrich, Art and Illusion (Princeton 2000, 11th ed.).
- E. Hall, Inventing the Barbarian (Oxford 1989).
- C. Holleran, Shopping in Ancient Rome (Oxford 2012).
- P. Horden, N. Purcell, The Corrupting Sea (Oxford 2000).
- E. Isayev, Migration Mobility and Place in Ancient Italy (Cambridge 2017).
- S. Jones, The Archaeology of Ethnicity. Constructing Identities in the Past and Present (London 1997).
- E.N.B. Kampen et al., Sexuality in Ancient Art (Cambridge 1996).
- M. Marvin, The language of the muses: the dialogue between Roman and Greek sculpture (Los Angeles 2008).
- I.A. Oltean, Dacia. Landscape, colonisation, Romanisation, Routledge (London 2007).
- M.E.J. Pitts, The Roman object revolution. Objectscapes and intra-cultural connectivity in northwest Europe (Amsterdam 2019).
- M. T. Stark (ed.), The Archaeology of Social Boundaries (Washington and London 1998).
- P. Stewart. The social history of Roman art (Cambridge 2008).
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 25/11/2019 |
| Last revision date | 29/01/2020 |