Roman archaeology

The course provides an extensive survey of the archaeology of the Roman world, as well as an introduction to archaeological methods. Students will acquire the analytical skills necessary to interpret material culture and learn how to use archaeological remains to reconstruct various aspects of ancient societies. Emphasis for this class is on the identification and recognition of the major archaeological sites and the important categories of artifacts of the Roman world from the early Iron Age to the time of Justinian

Troy and the Trojan War: the archaeology of an epic

Troy has long captured the human imagination. The story of its fall and the tales of both its inhabitants and besiegers have caught the attention of artists and their audiences from antiquity to post-modernity. It seems we are drawn to the struggle that is Troy and the Trojan War, to the paragons of virtue, and the archetypes of other, less noble human traits. The idea of the siege seemingly without end, the feuds among defenders and besiegers alike, and, perhaps above all, the story of deities intervening in human events grant a certain universal (and timeless) appeal to the story. It is not surprising, then, that the search for Troy has been a long one – where did these events take place? Did Homer’s Trojan War really occur? What links might there have been between the end of the Bronze Age in the Aegean world and the time of Homer? This course engages the archaeology and reception of Troy and the Trojan War from a number of perspectives, with the ultimate goal being a contextualization of the place and its associated narratives in such a way that students will emerge from the course with a contextualized view of Troy, the Trojan War, and its place in global culture. The course also addresses key elements of the reception of the Trojan War and its themes, in both antiquity and in our own time

Archaeology of Mediterranean Landscapes

This course offers a survey of the archaeology of settled landscapes in the ancient Mediterranean world, including both the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean basin. In particular, the course will focus on city-country dichotomies in order to study the patterns of development, demography, and land use in selected case study areas. While the emergence of urban centers in the Mediterranean and Near East will be an important consideration, the main focus of the course will be to study these landscapes in a contextualized way, exploring the interrelatedness of the city center and its hinterland and examining the ways in which human activity in the landscape over time brings about change. The course will be interested in land use and exploitation, agricultural practice, the spatial and temporal dynamics of settled landscapes, and the processes (and concomitant effects) of urbanism. It will also focus on the methods of collecting landscape data through surface survey, as well as other means of geophysical prospection and excavation. Case studies will be used to explore these themes, in addition to others, and will provide students an opportunity to use archaeological data in order to produce a research paper based on a chosen case study

Ancient cities

This course is an introductory survey of the urban centers of the ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, and Mediterranean worlds. In this course students will explore the development of urbanism in these areas by studying the archaeological remains from the cities of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, from the Neolithic period until the foundation of Constantinople in the fourth century A.D. The course will focus on comparing the characteristics of urbanism and the archaeological evidence for urbanization in different cultures. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able both to define what constitutes a “city” in each of the cultural contexts that we have studied and to identify the unique traits that each of the cultures studied brings to the urban equation

Hellenistic and Roman sculpture

This course provides a survey of sculptural forms in the Hellenistic and Roman worlds from the time of Alexander the Great to Late Antiquity. Key sculptural media will be considered from chronological and thematic perspectives. Attention will be given to contextual analysis, social history, form, technique, commemoration, regionalism, the tradition of copying, artists’ workshops, and issues of reception

Archaeology of Athens

The ancient city of Athens provides us with a wealth of archaeological and cultural information about the ancient world. Using Athens and its surroundings as our laboratory, this course will focus on the development and growth of the ancient city-state from the Bronze Age through to the third century A.D. The course will explore the archaeological and cultural record of ancient Athens and the region of Attica, examining key topics such as public art and architecture, monumentality, law, ritual, economy, funerary practices, and games

Roman art: an introduction

This course provides an introduction to the visual culture and art forms of the Italo-Roman world from the Early Iron Age to the beginning of Late Antiquity. The course examines the developmental arcs of art forms in various spheres (public, private, sacred, funereal) and considers key media (sculpture, painting, mosaic, decorative arts). Notable case studies include art in the Vesuvian cities (Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae), the Roman port of Ostia Antica, provincial art in the Roman empire (western and eastern provinces, North Africa), the public art and iconographic programs of key emperors including Augustus, Nero, Trajan, Hadrian, and Constantine I. Case studies provide the opportunity not only to engage with canonical objects and the visual culture of the Roman world but also to explore art forms in context in order to appreciate the role played by objects in ancient societies

The archaeology of Mediterranean landscapes

This course offers a survey of the archaeology of settled landscapes in the ancient Mediterranean world, including both the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean basin. In particular, the course will focus on city-country dichotomies in order to study the patterns of development, demography, and land use in selected case study areas. While the emergence of urban centers in the Mediterranean and Near East will be an important consideration, the main focus of the course will be to study these landscapes in a contextualized way, exploring the interrelatedness of the city center and its hinterland and examining the ways in which human activity in the landscape over time brings about change. The course will be interested in land use and exploitation, agricultural practice, the spatial and temporal dynamics of settled landscapes, and the processes (and concomitant effects) of urbanism. It will also focus on the methods of collecting landscape data through surface survey, as well as other means of geophysical prospection and excavation. Case studies will be used to explore these themes, in addition to others, and will provide students an opportunity to write an in-depth treatment that requires an analysis of survey data and survey outcomes. Various sets of archaeological data, as well as appropriate primary sources, will be considered in each set of case studies in order to offer contextualized readings of archaeological landscapes. Students will produce a substantial research project based on a chosen case study

Rome’s Augustan “rebirth”: from bricks to marble

This course provides a detailed examination of the life and administration of the Roman emperor Augustus (reigned 31 B.C. to A.D. 14), a time of pivotal social and economic change that forever altered the trajectory of Roman history. Augustus and his administration will be examined from a variety of viewpoints, drawing on a rich dataset that includes literature, art, architecture, epigraphy, and ritual practice. The course will seek to understand how the relatively obscure young man who succeeded Julius Caesar aimed to repair and stabilize a society wracked by civil war and, in so doing, redirect the nature of the Roman state and of Roman citizenship. Detailed examination of programs of art, architecture, and urbanism will reveal the part played by material culture in crafting and maintaining an “Augustan program”, while close reading of poetry and prose sources produced with patronage from the emperor will allow a consideration of culture identity as constructed under Augustus. The success of the Augustan program exerted a strong influence on other imperial programs in antiquity, as well as influencing modern and postmodern ideas about leadership, authority, and the state. To that end, the course will conclude by considering the reception of the Augustan program in antiquity and beyond, including the co-option of Augustan themes in the twentieth century