Ancient Cities
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CS 3550E (FALL 2018 & WINTER 2019) THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ROME AND ITALY WELCOME to CS 3550E! Ancient Rome was one of the most dynamic, powerful, and accomplished societies to have ever existed. In a mere five centuries, Rome grew from a small hilltop village (ca. 900 – 700 BC) to a vast empire that controlled the entire Mediterranean (146 BC). Did you know that the Roman Empire at its largest extent (ca. AD 115) covered areas that now comprise at least forty-eight modern countries? Or, that the primary sewer still used today in Rome was constructed by a king of Rome almost 3,000 years ago? This course will look at the archaeological remains from the entire span of Roman history beginning with its life as a small monarchy (ca. 753-509 BC), to its long run as a hierarchical Republic (509-31 BC), to its transition into a vast empire ruled by a single imperial figure (31 BC onward). We will explore the remains of houses, temples, warehouses, bars, bathhouses, and apartment buildings in the major cities of Italy such as Rome, Ostia and Pompeii, as well as the major civilizations of the Etruscans in northern Italy and the cities of Magna Graecia in the south. We will consider the role of monumentality, symbolism and artistic representation in public and private complexes throughout Rome and Italy. The small artifacts that were used in daily life will be investigated towards understanding their role in the creation and maintenance of power and individual identity. The course focuses on the art, architecture and artifacts from Italy and discusses how these are interpreted today to reconstruct all aspects of life in the past. I am Dr. Elizabeth Greene and I will be your instructor for this course. I am Associate Professor of Roman Archaeology in the Department of Classical Studies. I teach on all aspects of Classical Archaeology (primarily Greek and Roman), particularly the archaeology of the Roman world and the Roman provinces in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. I have worked on archaeological excavations in Tuscany and Rome, and on various military forts along the Roman frontier in England. Currently, I am involved in an on-going excavation project at a site called Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall, where I co-direct a field school for Western students to train in excavation technique and the history and archaeology of Roman Britain. Please feel free to discuss with me any aspect of archaeology, how to get involved with archaeological projects, or just come introduce yourself. 1 CONTACT INFO INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Elizabeth Greene Department of Classical Studies Lawson Hall, Room 3208 519-661-2111, ext. 84571 OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday, 3:30-4:30 and Thursday, 9:30-10:30 (or by appt. [email protected]) Teaching Assistant: Shereen Fayed Office Hours: CLASS INFO CLASS TIMES: Tuesday, 1:30-3:30; Thursday, 1:30-2:30 LOCATION: AHB 1B06 (Arts & Humanities Building) ASSIGNMENTS and ASSESSMENT FALL 2018 Test 1 (Visual identification and short answers, 2 hours) November 15 15% Short Paper (see assignment for details) Final Draft December 7 20% WINTER 2019 Test 2 (Visual identification and short answers, 2 hours) February 7 15% Final exam (As scheduled by registrar) 25% Short Paper (5 pages, see assignment for details) 20% Proposal and Annotated bibliography (mandatory) March 1 Rough Draft (optional) March 22 Final Draft April 9 Class participation On-going 5% REQUIRED COURSE MATERIAL Claridge, Amanda. 2010. Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, 2nd edition (Oxford) (Indicated as “Rome” in readings lists). Ramage, Andrew and Nancy Ramage. 2015. Roman Art: Romulus to Constantine, 6th edition (Pearson Prentice Hall) (Indicated by “R&R” in readings lists). **I did not order this from the bookstore because it is very expensive. Please buy this used online** Sear, Frank. 1998. Roman Architecture, 2nd edition (Routledge) (Indicated as “Sear” in readings lists). Consult MLA (or similar) writing guides online. **Further readings will be posted to the course website on OWL and will be available on the course reserves from the library. These will be listed in the weekly reading with author and chapter title** 2 NOTE FROM THE DEAN OF ARTS and HUMANITIES: You are responsible for ensuring that you have successfully completed all course prerequisites and that you have not taken an antirequisite course. Lack of prerequisites may not be used as basis of appeal. If you are not eligible for a course, you may be removed from it at any time, and you will receive no adjustment to your fees. These decisions cannot be appealed. PLAGIARISM: Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea, or a passage of text from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes or citations. Plagiarism is a major academic offence (see Scholastic Offence Policy in the Western Academic Calendar). POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/accommodation_medical.pdf [downloadable Student Medical Certificate (SMC): student.uwo.ca [under the Medical Documentation heading] Students seeking academic accommodation on medical grounds for any missed tests, exams and/or assignments worth 10% or more of their final grade must apply to the Office of the Dean of their home faculty and provide documentation. ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATION CANNOT BE GRANTED BY THE INSTRUCTOR OR DEPARTMENT. WESTERN ACCESSIBILITY POLICY. Western has many services and programs that support the personal, physical, social and academic needs of students with disabilities. For more information and links to these services: http://accessibility.uwo.ca/ WESTERN SUPPORT SERVICES: Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health @ Western http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help. COURSE DESCRIPTION The Archaeology of Rome and Italy will trace the evolution of the Roman world from the earliest cultural groups found in Italy through the Roman imperial period (ca. 1000 BC – AD 300). The course focuses primarily on the archaeological remains from this time period (architecture, sculpture, artifacts, etc.) and how we use them today to understand and interpret social, political, economic and historical phenomena of the Roman world. We begin by looking at some of the original cultural groups that existed in Italy (Villanovans, Etruscans, Greeks) and how these people influenced the growth and direction of early Roman society. The earliest archaeological remains in and around the city of Rome will be the backdrop for our investigation of the initial power struggles in central Italy during the period of the monarchy (753 BC – 509 AD). We will examine the primitive hut settlements on the Capitoline and Palatine Hills and debate theories about the earliest city wall to be found near the Palatine, argued by some archaeologists to have been the “wall of Romulus”, the mythical founder and namesake of the city (753 BC). We will then explore the conquest of “the people” over kingship and the establishment of the Roman Republic in 509 BC, and further, how we can understand these socio-political changes from the material record. This period takes us through a major part of the establishment of Rome as the dominant power in the Italian peninsula, first by the conquest of neighboring Etruscan cities and eventually by dominating and assimilating all cultural groups 3 in Italy. The period of the Republic also saw conquest overseas with the subjugation of the Carthaginians and Greeks finally in 146 BC, resulting in dominance over Spain, North Africa, and Greece and its surrounding areas. We will explore the shifting and changing power struggles and social organization through the material expression of both the State and individuals during this time. We will look at the houses, temples, public monuments, governmental structures and spaces, and objects of daily use in order to understand how the incorporation of so many cultural entities changed the face of Rome and Italy to create a multicultural State. The first term ends by looking at the transition from Republic to Empire (31 BC) and will focus particularly on the city of Rome as a landscape to demonstrate and legitimize power. This phenomenon can be traced particularly well in the buildings and artistic program of the Late Republican city (ca. 100- 31 BC) and that of the early empire under the first emperor Augustus (31 BC – AD 14). We will consider how past motifs and styles from Italy and elsewhere were employed in the power struggles of this shifting and changing world. The second term picks up with the Roman Empire and follows it through to the abandonment of the West. We will trace the progression of dynasties and the different roles material culture played in the dominance and legitimization of these various groups. The second term sees the full-grown Roman Empire that spanned what now comprises 48 modern countries from Britain to Syria and from Romania to Sudan. With such a vast empire comes the integration of so many cultural groups, which we will investigate towards an understanding of concepts such as “romanization” and “cultural imperialism.” We will see how the incorporation of these groups and the influence the came from the periphery changed what it meant to be “Roman.” These and many other concepts will be introduced and discussed while we explore the monumental and awe-inspiring remains of the center of the Roman Empire: Italy and its capital at Rome. LEARNING OBJECTIVES On successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to: I. Understand basic archaeological terms relating to the architecture, art and artifacts of the Roman world.