Details of further reading suggestions as well as a relevant bibliography for the course will be provided at the start of the semester
Core bibliographic works for the course:
Barringer, J. (2014) The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece.
Clarke, J. (1991) The Houses of Roman Italy, 100 BC – AD 250.
Curtis, J. (1989) Ancient Persia. British Museum
Ewald, B.C. and Noreña, C.F. (2010) The Emperor and Rome.
Fullerton, M.D. (2000) Greek Art.
Galinsky, K. (1996) Augustan Culture, an Interpretative Introduction.
Hurwitt, J.M. (1999) The Athenian Acropolis.
Kleiner, D.E.E. (1992) Roman Sculpture.
Liverani, M. (2014) The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy.
Osborne, R. (1998) Archaic and Classical Art.
Podany, A. (2014) The Ancient Near East: A very Short Introduction.
Reade, J. (1998) Assyrian Sculpture. British Museum
Reade, J. (2000) Mesopotamia. British Museum Reserve
Riggs, C. (2014) Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture: a very short introduction.
Robins, G. (1997) The Art of Ancient Egypt. British Museum.
Smith, C. (2014) The Etruscans. A very Short Introduction.
Spivey, N. (1997) Etruscan Art.
Stewart, P. (2008) The Social History of Roman Art.
Representing the world 5000-1500 BC
1. Tues. Aug. 30 Introduction to the course and to Rome
Themes/works Course requirements & logistics.
Assigned reading: None
2. Thurs. Sept. 1 Agriculture and technology
Themes/works Far East: Zhang and Zhou (China); Jomon (Japan); Harappa, Indus civilization. Describing art
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 424-8; 451-3; 476-7 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 434-8, 463-5, 492-3
City-states and kings (c 3000-2300 BC)
3. Tues. Sept. 6 Writing and city-states
Themes/works Near East: Mesopotamia. Standard of Ur, Ziggurat of Uruk, tomb of Puabi, cuneiform writing, harps and figurines
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th / 15th ed.): 31-42
4. Thurs. Sept. 8 Cities and rulers
Themes/works Egypt: pre/early dynastic and old kingdom; Europe: Cyclades. Funerary architecture: pyramids and sphinx at Gizeh, sculpture, reliefs and painting; Cycladic figurines
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 55-66, 86-88 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 55-66, 84-6
Cities and administration (c 2000-1000 BC)
5. Tues. Sept. 13 Palace and city – religion
Themes/works Egypt and Europe: Middle Kingdom; Minoans. The human figure and the natural world: wall painting and pottery; Knossos, Thera
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 67-69, 89-95 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 67-69, 86-93
6. Thurs. Sept. 15 Queens and kings – leadership and administration
Themes/works Egypt and Europe: New Kingdom, Myceneans. Hatshepsut funerary temple; Amarna Period; painted scenes
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 69-80, 95-102 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 68-78, 93-100
Polis and royalty (c 1000-700 BC)
7. Tues. Sept. 20 Image and narrative
Themes/works Europe: Geometric and Orientalizing Greece. Writing and technologies, depicting myth. Dipylon krater/amphora; votive figurines; Lefkandi heroon; loutherion, Thebes; ‘Chigi olpe’; Aristonothos krater
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 108-11 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 106-9
8. Thur. Sept. 22 Royal pursuits and heroic ideals
Themes/works Near East and Far East: Babylonia and Assyria. Palace of Ashurnasirpal; epic of Gilgamesh; royal ideals: palace structure and decoration
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 43-48 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 42-48
Colonies and peer-polity relationships (700-600 BC)
9. Fri. Sept. 23 Colonies
Themes/works Europe: Orientalizing and Archaic Magna Graecia and Greece. Pithekoussai (settlement); Poseidonia/Paestum (city and temples); Temple of Artemis, Corcyra, temple plans
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 115-8 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 113-6
10. Tues. Sept. 27 International elite values
Themes/works Europe: Orientalizing and Archaic Etruria. International trade and exchange of technology; grave goods assemblages; status of women; rock-cut tombs, Caere; Couple sarcophagi, Caere
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 166-67 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 164-65
11. Thurs. Sept. 29 New styles of government: tyranny (and democracy)
Themes/works Europe: Archaic Greece. Kouros and kore figures, experimentation with movement; Black-figure and Red-figure pottery; ‘hekatompedon temple’
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 167-72, 173-6, 180-1 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 165-70, 171-4, 178-9
Changing social mobility (600-500 BC)
12. Tues. Oct. 4 Aristocratic and mercantile elites
Themes/works Europe: Archaic and Classical Etruria, Latium and Magna Graecia. Painted tombs, Tarquinia; Pyrgi sanctuary; Portonaccio sanctuary, Veii; Temple of Jupiter, Rome
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 111-14, 120-3, 129-31 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 109- 13, 118-21, 125-8
13. Thurs. Oct. 6 Polis and civic architecture – palace centres
Themes/works Europe: Archaic and Classical Greece; Near East: Persia. Priene and Athens: agora and theatres; Persepolis palace and apadana
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 119, 123-8, 151-2 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 117, 121-5
Sanctuaries and cities (700-400 BC)
14. Tues. Oct. 11
Civic and Pan-Hellenic sanctuaries
Themes/works Europe: Archaic and Classical Greece. Heraion (Perachora, Argos), Epidauros, Delphi, Olympia
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 48-53, 153-5 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 48-52, 150-52
15. Thurs. Oct. 13 Mid-term Exam
Week 8 – Civic representation (500-400 BC)
16. Tues. Oct. 18 Acropolis, Athens
Themes/works Europe: Classical Greece. Parthenon temple and decoration; Erechtheion; Temple of Nike
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 133-41 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 130-8
17. Thurs. Oct. 20 Sculpture
Themes/works Europe: Classical Greece. Doryphoros (Polykleitos); Aphrodite of Knidos (Praxiteles); Apoxyomenos (Lysippos); bronze- and stone working technique
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 132-3, 145-48 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 129-30, 142-5
Empire builders (400-100 BC) (100 BC-AD 100)
18. Tues. Oct. 25 Kingdoms and cities in the Greek world
Themes/works Europe: Hellenistic world. Depicting kings, making a new ‘world’ city. Portrait of Alexander the Great; mausoleum of Mausolos; Pergamon
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 148-9, 153-60 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 145-6, 150-9
19. Thurs. Oct. 27 Italy and the Greek Hellenistic world
Themes/works Europe: Hellenistic Italy, Egypt 2nd-1st century BC. Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, Praeneste; House of the Faun, Pompeii, Sarcophagus of Lars Pulena, statue of Aule Metele; Theatre of Pompey, Rome; Paris-Munich relief
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 150, 172-76, 183 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 147-8, 171-4, 181-3
20. Fri. Oct. 28 Rome: world city and new style of government
Themes/works Europe: 1st-century BC/AD Rome. Veristic and Augustan portraiture; Tivoli general; Prima Porta Augustus; Ara Pacis Augustae
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 182, 185-7, 197-202 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 179, 183-5, 195-202
Tuesday Nov. 1 - No class
21. Thurs. Nov. 3 A Greco-Roman world
Themes/works Roman Empire: cosmopolitan styles, international influences. 2nd century AD. Temple of Venus and Roma (Rome), Olympeion (Athens), mummy portraits (Fayum, Egypt), portraiture of Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 210-2, 216, 218 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 209-12, 215, 217
Patrons and viewers (100 BC – AD 200)
22. Tues. Nov. 8 The Roman house as social theatre
Themes/works Europe: Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia: atrium house, peristyle house, medianum house 1st century BC-2nd century AD. House of Neptune and Amphitrite (Herculaneum); House of the Menander, House Sallust, House of the Faun, House of Octavius Quartio, Villa of the Mysteries (Pompeii); House of the Yellow Walls (Ostia)
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 190, 192, 196, 213-4 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 188, 190, 194, 213-4
23. Thurs. Nov. 10 Roman painted interiors
Themes/works Europe: Rome, Pompeii, Boscotrecase. Domestic painted programs. 1st century BC-1st century AD. Villa of Livia (Prima Porta, Rome); Farnesina villa (Rome); House of Sallust, House of the Faun, Villa of the Mysteries (Pompeii); Villa of Agrippa Postumus (Boscotrecase)
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 191-6 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 189-94
Cosmopolitan Empire (AD 100-200)
24. Tues. Nov. 15 Boundaries of the Roman world
Themes/works Roman Empire: depictions of non-Romans, depictions of warfare and victories, defining a Roman world. 1st-2nd century AD. Arch of Titus; Column of Trajan, Column of Marcus Aurelius (Rome); Statue of Hadrian (Hierapytna, Crete)
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 205-9 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 203-9
25. Thurs. Nov. 17 Traditional images – new meanings
Themes/works Europe, Africa and the Near East: 3rd-century AD Rome, Leptis Magna and Dura-Europos. Arch of the Argentarii, Baths of Caracalla (Rome); Arch of Septimius Severus (Leptis Magna)
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 219-21, 234-36 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 218-20, 233-4
Reconfigured images (AD 200-400)
26. Tues. Nov. 22 New images – remaining Roman
Themes/works Europe: 4th-century AD Rome. A new style of emperor, Christian funerary imagery. Portrait of Constantine, Arch of Constantine, catacomb paintings
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 224-30, 237-48 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 223-8, 234-44
Thursday Nov. 24 - No class
Week 14 – Assessment
27. Tues. Nov. 29 Old world, new powers
Themes/works Americas: Olmec ruler portraits, Teotichuacan, Paracas; Africa: Nok cultures; China: Quin dynasty; South Asia: Buddism
Assigned reading: Gardner’s (14th ed.): 428-30, 454-5, 491-8, 507-9, 524-5 / Gardner’s (15th ed.): 441-3, 466, 509-15, 525-7, 543-4
28. Thurs. Dec. 1 Review
Themes/works
Assigned reading: None
29/30. Dec. 3-9 Final exam
Date, time and place to be announced
|