Insegnamento
Docente
After the course, students are expected to acquire a general knowledge about Roman art and archaeology; to develop competencies analysing and interpreting archaeological spaces, monuments and material culture in their art-historical, socio-economic, political and anthropological reference contexts; to carry out researches on themes pertaining to Roman art.
The course examines development of Roman art from the legendary founding of the city of Rome (753 B.C.) to the age of Constantine the Great (303-307 A.D.), by considering the archaeology and material culture of the city of Rome and the provinces. Topics to be covered include the origin and development of the city of Rome; the Republican age; the influence of Greek culture over Roman one; the communication through the images; the Imperial art; the daily life in the Roman Empire; the archaeology of cult and religion; provincial archaeology and the relationship between center and periphery. Specific focus will be paid to the to the city organization and main architectures, to the portrait, to wall painting, to funerary culture and sarcophagi; to the historical relief. The understanding of political meaning of Imperial art will be carefully analyzed; furthermore, emphasis will be placed on the archaeology of identity in an imperial context.
-N.H. Ramage, A. Ramage, Roman Art, London 2014 (or previous editions)
Further recommended readings (optional):
-P. Zanker, Roman Art, Los Angeles 2011 (from Chapter 2 to Chapter 7)
-P. Zanker, The power of images in the Age of Augustus, Ann Arbor 1990
4 – Educational method and tools
The didactic program foresees a series of lectures, that gradually introduces the student to the discovery of Roman archaeology, particularly by examining the most emblematic monuments.
The teaching activity is developed through the combination of video lectures, individual study, and interactive activities (preparation of a short essay by the students, which will be then revised by the professor and the tutor).
The course is developed through:
Frontal teaching:
- video lectures (the professor presents the course contents, in a way similar to classroom frontal teaching, supported by slides);
Interactive teaching:
- preparation of a short essay by the student that will be revised by the professor and tutor.
For the learning of the discipline, video-lectures, slides and other teaching materials are available to students on the page of the course.
For the learning of the discipline, video-lectures, slides and other teaching materials are available to students on the page of the course. Professor and tutor will assist the students during the entire academic year through e-mail correspondence and, at the student's request, video-reception (dates and times to be agreed in advance with the professor and the tutor).
Self-assessment tools are provided (quiz).
The evaluation will consist in an oral exam (questions concerning general and specific topics addressed during the lessons; recognition/description of monuments, sculptures, vases, artefacts analysed in the lessons; knowledge of the examined archaeological sites and periods).
Students are strongly encouraged to prepare a short essay, that will be evaluated during the exam (please refer to the Guidelines published on the web-page of the course in the section “Interactive teaching-Short essay Basic Roman Archaeology”).
The acquired knowledge and competencies will allow the graduates to be employed as professional archaeologists in a wide range of potential institutions, such as those connected
to cultural heritage management, protection and valorisation, e.g. museums, archaeological sites; public administrations; academic and research entities; archaeological excavations associations or cooperatives; organisations working in the field of tourism, history, architecture etc.
