BA Classics / Course details

This course offers an introduction to the archaeology of Greece and Rome and more broadly of the Mediterranean in Classical Antiquity. Using a thematic approach, students will be introduced to the study of material evidence from the Classical world and to key-themes and debates in the fields of Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology. The course will consider a wide range of sources, from archaeological remains of ancient cities and sites, to artworks and everyday use objects, studied in their wider historical, cultural and social context with the aim to enlighten the relationship of classical archaeology to other disciplines such as ancient history, classical languages and cultures, and art history. 

Topics covered in weekly lectures and seminars may include the following: Mediterranean and Classical archaeology: Methods and scopes; Greek Art and Architecture; Athens in the Classical period; Hellenistic capitals and royal courts; Roman Imperial Art; The household: Greece, Rome and beyond; The archaeology of religion: temples, rituals and domestic cults; Death and burials in the Mediterranean world; Entertainment and spectacles; Archaeology and socio-economic history: the circulation of goods, people and ideas in classical antiquity; special case studies from the eastern and western part of the Mediterranean (Egypt, the Middle East, South Italy) and Roman Britain. Artefact studies: pottery, coinage, sculpture, inscriptions, manuscripts including object handling sessions at the Museum.

• 2 x 1 hour lecture a week

• 1 x 1 hour seminar a week

• 1 dedicated consultation hour a week

• Blackboard: course material, handouts and other supporting material

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• to understand how archaeological sites and objects are related with the study of classical antiquity
• to understand how objects were produced, used and exchanged or commodified in the classical world
• to be able to classify ancient objects according to their aims, contents and material aspect

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• To construct an argument in written and oral form
• To assimilate and summarise large quantities of evidence, and to engage critically and analytically with this evidence
• To conduct independent research
• To present the results in a professional manner with appropriate and detailed reference to sources and modern published scholarship

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• To manage time
• To engage with collections of material evidence
• To engage in critical discussion and debate

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• To be able to communicate ideas in appropriate written and oral form
• To work in groups
• To analyse data and be able to interpret them

·         S.E. Alcock, R. Osborne (eds.) Classical Archaeology, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons 2012 (2nd ed.)

·         C. Freeman, Egypt, Greece and Rome: Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean, Oxford 2014 (3rd ed.)

·         J.G. Pedley, Greek Art and Archaeology, Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall 2012 (5th ed.)

·         M.D. Stansbury-O’Donnell, A History of Greek Art. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons 2015.

·         P. Zanker, Roman Art, Los Angeles:  Getty Publications 2010