03619 - Roman Archaeology and History of Art

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student knows territorial and urban planning, buildings and monumental contexts, figurative expressions, handicraft production of the cultures of the Roman world, from the republican age to the late empire period. It also has the essential tools to combine archaeological research, both in terms of the elaboration and deepening of knowledge, and in terms of a first approach to archaeological field research, refined in laboratories and construction sites.

Course contents

1. general part: main historical and geographical references of the Roman world. The time line from the royal age to the late antique. The origins of Rome and its urban and monumental development. Rome and Italy: colonies and municipalities, streets, settlements, territories. Construction techniques and materials. The forms of living: the Roman house. Holes, temples, public buildings. The world of images: cultured art, plebeian art. Painting and mosaic. The historical relief. The face of the Romans: development of the portrait in Roman figurative culture. The problem of the late Roman age.

2. case-study: "Roman painting". A journey into the pictorial production of the Roman world: stylistic and technological considerations.

Readings/Bibliography

ATTENDING STUDENTS:

Required for exam preparation:

- R. Bianchi Bandinelli, Roma. L'arte romana nel centro del potere, Milano, Rizzoli editore.

- R. Bianchi Bandinelli, Roma. La fine dell'arte antica, Milano, Rizzoli editore, pp. 1-100.

Or:

- M. Torelli, M. Menichetti, G.L. Grassigli, Arte e archeologia del mondo romano, Milano, Longanesi, 2008.

Or:

- M. Papini, Arte romana, Milano 2016

 

STUDENTS NOT ATTENDING:

Non-attending students are required to prepare, in addition to the manual indicated above, an additional volume to be chosen from the following:

- P. Zanker, Arte romana, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2008.

- P. Zanker, Un'arte per l'impero. Funzione e intenzione delle immagini nel mondo romano, Milano, Electa editore.

- T. Hoelscher, Il linguaggio dell'arte romana, Torino, Einaudi editore.

- S. De Maria, Segni, cerimonie e monumenti del potere, in S. Settis (a cura di), Civiltà dei Romani. Il potere e l'esercito, Milano, Electa, 1991, pp. 123-143.

- P. Gros, L'architettura romana dagli inizi del III secolo a.C. alla fine dell'alto impero. I monumenti pubblici, Milano, Longanesi editore, pp. 134-300.

- F. Coarelli, Roma (Guide Archeologiche Laterza), nuova ediz., Roma-Bari 2008 e ss.

- E. De Albentiis, La casa dei Romani, Milano, Longanesi. 1990.

- H. von Hesberg, Monumenta. I sepolcri romani e la loro architettura, Milano, Longanesi, 1994.

- I. Baldassarre, A. Pontrandolfo, A. Rouveret, M. Salvadori, Pittura romana. Dall'Ellenismo al tardo Antico, Milano 2006.

- J. Scheid, Rito e religione dei Romani, Bergamo 2009.

- P. MORACHIELLO, V. FONTANA, L'architettura del mondo romano, Laterza, Bari 2009.

- A. CARANDINI (a cura di), Atlante di Roma antica, Milano 2013

 

Alternative solutions can be agreed directly with the teacher.

Teaching methods

Given the particular setting of the course all students are invited to attend the lessons, which will have as much as possible a "seminar" cut, with active participation in the presentation of the study themes.

Students who could not attend the lectures will have to study a manual chosen from those listed under "texts / bibliography", together with a further reading, to be chosen from those recommended in the previous section.

Anyone who has particular interests (or needs) can contact the teacher to define any alternative programs.

Assessment methods

The learning assessment will take place through individual interviews. The student will have to prove he possesses the basic notions with respect to classical civilization (historical aspects, chronological problems, archaeological profile of the settlements of Roman age in the Mediterranean). On the basis of the lessons followed, the student must be able to correctly contextualise the documented sources submitted (archaeological, epigraphic, iconographic), with specific attention to the chronological aspects. He will also have to show that he is able to connect the archaeological data with the historical and artistic-historical repercussions. The verification will also involve an accurate query on all the texts indicated in the bibliographic program.

Non-attending students, given the stated educational objectives, will also require a specific study of the bibliographic material appropriately assigned by the teacher to supplement the missed class attendance.

Teaching tools

The lessons will be supported by the projection of images that, at the end of the lessons, will be provided to the student.

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Lepore