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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH/CL 366"
COURSE NAME: "Special Topics in Ancient Art: Funerary Art"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2024
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Sharon Salvadori
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: MW 11:30 AM 12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: One previous course in Art History or Classical Studies or permission of the instructor
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Specialized courses offered periodically on specific aspects of the art of the ancient world. Courses are normally research-led topics on an area of current academic concern. May be taken more than once for credit with different topics.

Satisfies "the Ancient World" core course requirement for Art History majors
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course analyzes Roman funerary art from the late Republic to Late Antiquity. The primary aims of the course are to gain an in-depth familiarity of Roman tomb types, burial areas and funerary iconography and the ability to discuss and evaluate the different meanings of Roman funerary iconography in relation to Roman society and beliefs.

Roman funerary monuments range from relatively inexpensive inscribed tombstones to richly decorated mausolea. Ancient Roman society placed a very high value on keeping alive and honoring the memory of the dead and a dignified tomb was considered the most effective means to permanently and visibly fulfill this obligation. Funerary art is therefore not only the largest extant category of Roman Art, but "re-presents" a cross section of Roman society, from slaves to aristocrats, and from as far back as we can date Roman art.

 For many Romans grief, devotion and duty towards the dead mingled not only with beliefs concerning the survival of the spirits of the dead, but with an understanding that honoring the deceased greatly contributed to the reputation and status of the survivors and their descendants. The imagery and inscriptions on Ancient Roman tombs were, therefore, often a means to assert and commemorate the identity (real or projected) not only of the dead, but of the living. The construction and perception of identity in Roman society, as in any culture, was shaped by a whole range of cultural, political, religious, and social values, fears, expectations and beliefs. While specific ideologies of death certainly mediated the meaning of representations in the funerary context, close analysis of the location, typology, media and iconography of extant tombs provide unparalleled insights into the values of Roman men and women and are a privileged means to interpret the relationship between art and Roman society.

The course will include two Saturday on-site visits to make the most of the superb variety of Ancient Roman funerary monuments still extant in Rome,
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  • an in-depth familiarity of Ancient Roman tomb types, burial areas and funerary iconography
  •  the ability to discuss and evaluate the different meanings of Ancient Roman funerary iconography in relation to Roman society and its belief systems
  • Knowledge of representative examples of Ancient Roman burial and tomb types

  • Knowledge of key iconographical motifs in Ancient Roman funerary art and their significance

  • Knowledge of the typical contents and significance of Ancient Roman funerary inscriptions

  • Knowledge of the main Ancient Roman funerary beliefs, rituals and ceremonies 

  • Skills for the critical analysis of visual culture generally

  •   ability to apply critical thinking and analysis generally

  •   ability to select and organize material to produce a coherent and cogent argument both orally and in writing- and to do so to so respecting deadlines

 
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
PARTICIPATION and PREPARATIONIn addition to attendance, active class participation is expected of all students. Participating effectively entails completing and taking notes on all "Required Reading" before class so that during class you can effectively engage: prepared to ask and answer questions and to share any pertinent observations. tHIS MEANS THAT YOU MUST COME TO CLASS PREPARED. Remember too that the more you engage, the more interesting the class will be not only for you but also for everyone else- professor included. 10
CRITICAL REVIEWThe critical review focuses on a scholarly article intended to familiarize students with monument/s, artwork/s, or object types in more depth, but especially to come to terms with how scholars approach the evidence and its interpretation. Length: 1000-1500 words. Submission: The essay must be submitted in hard copy in class and electronically on Moodle Format: the paper must be in Word (=.docx) which is available free at JCU (so no exceptions!). Sketches and other supporting images must be scanned or photographed and inserted in to the Word Document sketches; all images must be properly labeled **Critical Review Guidelines including publications to be reviewed, will be posted on Moodle by week 2 We will review them together during week 3. Please make sure to have read them carefully before then. Please also feel free to set up an appointment to discuss the assignment, provided it is at least two weeks prior the due date. 10
VISUAL ANALYSISThe visual analysis is intended to hone your skills of analytical observation. In Art History the artwork itself provides the fundamental source of evidence for studying its significance; hence, the ability to critically and analytically observe is fundamental. Although your paper will require some research to identify and contextualize your work, this not a research paper, but an analytical essay. Length: 1000-1500 words Format: the paper must be in Word (=.docx). Sketches and other supporting images must be scanned or photographed and inserted into the Word Document sketches; all images must be properly labeled. Submission: the essay must be submitted in hard copy in class and electronically on Moodle. The analysis must focus on a single Roman funerary monument from c. 250 BC to c. 400 AD. The choice is at your discretion, and, in fact, part of the exercise is to find a viable and interesting work. But the visual analysis should ideally be integral or related to both your presentation and term paper and may be drawn directly or indirectly from the Critical Review. The paper must combine formal, iconographic and contextual readings. You must sketch the artwork that is the focus of your paper. The sketches are to be turned in with the paper (in the form of a scanned image/ photo; easily done even with your phone). They will not be evaluated in terms of the quality of your draftsmanship: even if you think you cannot draw, sketching greatly aids seeing (which is far more than simply looking!) and this is the point of the exercise, as hopefully you will discover when you come to your written analysis. Ideally you should see the work in person. (There are many, many Ancient Roman funerary monuments extant in Rome!) Another key aim is to critically engage with at least two scholarly interpretations on your topic. One publication must be from the Course Bibliography and may be the same as you the one you examined in the Critical review; the second is at your discretion but may be chosen from the CB. Both sources must be discussed in the paper and properly cited. Please choose your monument carefully as it ideally should be a preliminary project leading to the research topic of your Presentation and Term paper. The paper must also include: 1. one or more photographs of your chosen monument; 2. a complete bibliography of the sources used; and 3. proper citations of the sources used in the paper itself. *Visual Analysis Guidelines will be posted on Moodle in the second week of term. We will review them together during the third week. Please make sure to have read them carefully before then. Please also feel free to set up an appointment to discuss the assignment, provided it is at least two weeks prior the due date. 10
PRESENTATIONS X 2 (one shorter WORTH 10%, one longer WORTH 15%)The presentations are intended to develop your skills in research, observation, interpretation, evaluation and, of course, public speaking- developing the ability to express yourself orally in a clear, concise and effective manner is as important as the content of the presentation (content without form undermines content itself...) The first presentation is short, 10 minutes. The principal aim is to provide a preliminary introduction to your final research paper. Open-ended research questions are more than valid, as one of a key goal is to get feed-back from the class. A second aim is to critically engage with at least two scholarly interpretations on your topic. This means you must critically discuss the publications in the course of your presentation. The publications may replicate those you chose for the Critical Review, Visual Analysis and Annotated Bibliography. The presentation must be accompanied by a PPoint presentation with a minimum of 5 slides reproducing the monuments or artworks you will be focusing on. The images must be labeled correctly (name/subject/ date and location/ patron, etc., as relevant). The second set presentations is 15-20 minutes. The aim is to present your Term paper as thoroughly as possible. This means: 1. engaging in your topic through a critical assessment of the scholarly literature that has had a direct or indirect bearing on your paper topic (the titles in your Annotated Bibliography should be the obvious place to start) and 2. engaging in your topic through a critical assessment of the images that are the focus of your paper A PowerPoint presentation with a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 15 slides must accompany the presentation. The images must be labeled correctly (name/subject/ date and location/ patron if known, etc.) On the day of the you must also provide a hand-out with an outline of your presentation and a bibliography for all members of the class (prof. included). The PPoint for both presentations will be posted on Moodle so as to be available to whole class (images could show up on final exam!). We will discuss details on both presentations on the class after the mid-term exam 25
TERM PAPERThe Term Paper is intended to develop skills of independent research, ability to evaluate and interpret materials and their inherent interests, and capability for discussing these in a nuanced manner in writing. The paper must combine visual analysis, iconographic and historical research and contextual interpretation. Your goal is to read and critically interpret visually meaning in monuments in their original historical context. In other words, it should be a formal essay that demonstrates the skills that you have developed and/or honed during the semester. The assignment consists in two parts: 1. A Paper abstract (c. 100-150 words; essentially a thesis statement), accompanied by labeled images (minimum 3) and an annotated bibliography (minimum 7 titles; c. 150 words each; publication citation excluded from word count) in which each of the publications is briefly summarized and its relevance to your paper explained. The publications in the annotated bibliography may duplicate those used for the Critical Review and the Visual Analysis. But bear in mind that 4 publications must be from the Course Bibliography. The assignment is worth 15% of the paper grade. Failing to turn it in will result in losing a quarter grade on your paper (- 25%). Format: Word (=.docx) which is available free at JCU (so no exceptions!). Supporting images must be scanned or photographed and inserted in to the Word Document sketches; all images must be properly labeled Submission: the assignment must be submitted in hard copy in class (no electronic submission) and 2. The Term Paper itself Length: 3500-4000 words, exclusive of bibliography and images. Format: papers must be in Word (=.docx) which is available free at JCU (so no exceptions!). Supporting images must be scanned or photographed and inserted in to the Word Document sketches; all images must be properly labeled Submission: The essay must be submitted in hard copy in class and electronically on Moodle (before class) In addition to the main text in which sources are duly cited, the paper must include a complete bibliography of primary and secondary sources used and at least 4 accompanying and properly labeled images. Generally speaking, the paper should build on the assignments done previously and represent a culmination of those efforts. *Term Paper Guidelines, including information on the abstract and annotated bibliography, will be posted on Moodle in the third week of the semester. We will review the guidelines during the class after the mid-term exam. Please make sure to have read them carefully before then. Please also feel free to set up an appointment to discuss your paper, provided it is at least two weeks prior to the due date. 20
EXAMS (Mid-term: 10%; Final: 15%)The mid-term exam takes place in week 7 during regular class time; the exam is timed for 60 minutes, so you have 15 minutes wiggle time. It will cover material studied up to that point. It consists in 4 comparisons (15 minutes each; each 25% of exam grade.) One or more images of two sites or funerary monuments will be shown to you. In addition to identification (subject, date, location, viewing context, patron, media, as relevant or known), you must demonstrate in your answers your understanding of how the monuments and their imagery are effected and affected by religious, political, social and ethnic determinants, as relevant. It should go without saying that a comparison consists in comparing. In other words,you must think of the two images in relation to one another by discussing significant similarities and differences- often structural or formal components, location, function, meaning and patronage. A week prior to the exam, an image bank with a series of labeled comparisons (c. 14) will be posted; 4 of these will constitute the comparisons. The final exam takes place during exam week the exam is timed for 120 minutes, but the exam slot is 150 minutes, so you have 30 minutes wiggle time. Its aims and format are exactly the same as the mid-term, except that it consists in 8 comparisons (15 minutes each; each worth 12,5% of exam). The exam is cumulative but you may expect material mainly from the second half of term. A week prior to the exam, an image bank with a series of labeled comparisons (c. 30) will be posted; 8 of these will constitute the comparisons on the exam. *Review sheets will be posted a week prior to each exam. A brief review session is also scheduled for each exam. Students are encouraged to submit comparisons by 5pm on the day before the review session for each exam, provided they are willing to argue their relevance during the review sessions. If viable, student comparisons could very well show up on exam. 25

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Students are expected to attend all classes. Lectures and in-class discussion often do more than simply complement required reading assignments and being absent inevitably results in extra work to catch up. It should also be noted that missing classes may entail missing quizzes which may not be made up.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

WEEK 1

Introduction

· course content and scope, requirements, reading, logistics, etc.
· chronological overview
· introduction to funerary beliefs and practices
· introduction to Roman burial grounds
· the patrons of Roman funerary art: social classes and social hierarchy in Ancient Rome
· introduction to tomb typologies, epitaphs and funerary iconography

Required Reading: Hope (2009): Introduction, Ch. 1 and Ch. 6

WEEK 2

Funerary ritual, performance and image


· Roman antecedents and shared traditions: early Rome, Latium and Etruria
· aristocratic funerals, ancestors, ancestor masks, death masks and funerary portraits
· funerary processions and games
· honoring, sanctifying and soothing the spirits of the dead at the tomb
· banqueting with the dead at the tomb
Required Reading: Hope (2009), Ch. 3; Flower (2004)

WEEK 3

Funerary monuments and social status: Republic to the Early Empire

 

·Elite and non-elite patrons of funerary monuments in ancient Rome: evidence, assumptions and preconceptions

·keeping the dead alive through re-presentation: modes of asserting status and worth among elite and non-elite patrons: shared or conflicting values? 

Required Reading: Walker (1985), 36-61; D'Ambra (1998) Roman art, Chs. 1 and 3; Kleiner (1992): pp. 31-42, 78-81, 103-109, 194-199 and 236-237

Suggested Reading: Clarke (2003): Ch. 3

 

Review of guidelines for Critical Reviews and Visual Analyses

 


WEEK 4

Funerary monuments and social status: Republic to the Early Empire, cont.

Burial clubs and shared burial areas: elite sponsors and "mutual aid" societies

Social status construction, perception and reception: target audiences for tombs? 

Liberti and funerary commemoration: case studies

 

Required Reading: Kampen (1993); D'Ambra (1995);  Petersen (2006): Introduction and Chs. 3 and 6

Suggested Reading: Clarke (2003): Ch. 3; George (2006); Leach (2006)

 


WEEK 5

Imperial “apotheosis” and commemoration

 

Imperial divinities: temple, tomb, cult, and image

Required Reading: Davies (2000), 13-19, 137-42 (Mausoleum of Augustus), 19-27, 67-71, 142-48 (Arch of Titus), 127-135 (column of Trajan), 34-48, 158-71 (Mausoleum of Hadrian, columns of A. Pius and M. Aurelius); Matheson (1997)

 

WEEK 6

Funerary portraits in forma deorum (in the shape/ guise of the gods)


Private and public deification: funerary portraits

Required Reading: D'Ambra (1996); Kampen (1996); Wood (2000); Kousser (2007)

 

WEEK 7

Field Trip to Terme Museum /Vatican Museums (Friday or Saturday TBA)

 

Mid-term exam review - Please read review sheet before class

WEEK 8

 

Mid-term Exam

 

Review of Presentations and Term Papers. Please read Guidelines before class.
 (short class- compensation for field trip)



WEEK 9

Inhumation, Sarcophagi and House Tombs

Typologies in form and decoration / Viewing Contexts and Display
Required Reading: Birk (2013), Introduction and Ch. 1; Borg (2011); Walker (1985), 18-50; Zanker and Ewald (2012), Ch. 1, up. to p. 30


WEEK 10

Mythological Sarcophagi

Classical Mythology, Pictorial narrative and Funerary Commemoration

Required Reading: Zanker and Ewald (2012), Ch. 1, pp. 30-56, Ch. 2 and Ch. 4, pp. 199-207 and catalogue entries TBA)

WEEK 10

Sarcophagi: changes in subject and context between the 2nd and 3rd cents.

Required Reading: Birk (2013), Ch. 2; Borg. (2013), Ch. 6, Ewald (2012), and Zanker and Ewald (2012), Ch. 3 , Ch. 4, pp. 175-195 and 212-244

Suggested Reading: Zanker and Ewald, Ch. 5

 

WEEK 11

Sarcophagi and House Tombs in the Vatican Necropolis

 and in the Vatican Museums (on site; Friday or Saturday TBA)

 


Required Reading: Coarelli, (2007), 354-9 (Vatican necropolis area); Toynbee and Ward Perkins, Part One: The Vatican Cemetery- browse, study photos and plans

WEEK 12

Student Presentations

WEEK 13

Death, burial and Christian identity in 3rd and 4th century Rome

 

Catacombs and catacomb painting
Required Reading: Bodel (2008); and Elsner (1988) Chs. 6 and 8 and Bisconti in Fiocchi Nicolai et. al (2002)

WEEK 13

Death, burial and Christian identity in 3rd and 4th century Rome, cont.

 

Sarcophagi and Funerary Basilicas
Required Reading: Gee (2011/2012) and Mathews (2001) Chs. 2, 3 and 5


WEEK 14

Loose Ends / Review for Final

**TERM PAPER DUE