85135 - Archaeology of Greek Cities

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Ravenna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in History, preservation and enhancement of artistic and archaeological heritage and landscape (cod. 9218)

Learning outcomes

The teaching aims to deepen the peculiarities of the urban civilization of the Greek world, with particular reference to the characteristics of urban schemes, monumental apparatuses and their evolution, of the different forms of culture promoted in the contexts of the poleis from the Minoan-Mycenaean age to the late Hellenism. The student faces the Greek world of his own and of the East, addressing specific in-depth themes. These also concern the different aspects of figurative expressions and material culture, according to the methods developed in the various historical and social contexts. The student is therefore able, at the end of the training course carried out in the course, to move critically in the problems faced, not only with useful tools for the correct understanding and processing of the knowledge produced in the specific field, but is also in possession of the essential knowledge to develop projects and conduct research in archaeological field activities.

Course contents

1. general part: the program examines the birth and development of the urban model in the Greek world understood in its broadest sense. After the first examples of Minoan and Mycenaean areas, some of the main Greek cities will be examined: Athens, Corinth, and other examples taken from the insular world (Delos, Rhodes) and micro-Asian (Priene, Ephesus, Miletus). "The archeology of the city" will be declined in all its aspects and from all points of view, from urban planning to architecture, from production to artistic aspects, from the management of the chora

2. focus study: particular attention will be given, during the sessions, to the cd. "archeology of death" or the study of the necropolis and aspects of the funerary ritual during the various eras of Greek civilization.

Readings/Bibliography

Given the "seminar" nature of the course, it is highly recommended to attend lectures.

Attending students are required - in addition to studying the notes of the lectures - to prepare at least one volume chosen from the following (further bibliographical information will be provided during the lessons):

- E. GRECO, M. TORELLI, Storia dell'urbanistica. Il modo greco, Bari 1983

- E. GRECO (a cura di), Topografia di Atene. Sviluppo urbano dalle origini al III secolo d.C., voll. 1-5, Paestum 2010-2015

- E. LIPPOLIS, G. ROCCO, M. LIVADIOTTI, Architettura greca: storia e monumenti del mondo della polis dalle origini al V secolo, Bruno Mondadori 2007

- M.C. MONACO, Ergasteria. Impianti artigianali ceramici ad Atene e in Attica, Roma 2000

- B. d’AGOSTINO, La necropoli e i rituali della morte, in S. Settis (ed.), I Greci. Storia, cultura, arte, società, 2. Una storia greca, 1. Formazione, Torino 1996, pp. 435-470, da leggere unitamente a M. S. MIRTO, La morte nel mondo greco, Roma 2007

- Ploutos e Polis. Aspetti del rapporto tra economia e politica nel mondo greco (Atti dell'Incontro Internazionale di Studi, Roma 20-22 maggio 2013), Roma 2016

- E. GRECO, Ippodamo di Mileto. Immaginario sociale e pianificazione urbana nella Grecia classica, Paestum 2018

- M. MARI, L'età ellenistica. Società, politica, cultura, Roma 2020

- L. M. CALIO’, Mura divine. Fortificazioni greche nel Mediterraneo durante l’età del Ferro, Roma 2021

Non-attending students are required to prepare at least two volumes chosen from the list mentioned above (obviously it is possible to propose alternative volumes to those indicated).

Furthermore, non-attending students must present a study (in written or oral form) on a Greek city of their choice (even not included in those covered in class), to be discussed during the final exam.

Teaching methods

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

Students who cannot attend the lessons will have to study a manual chosen from those indicated in the "texts / bibliography", together with a further reading, to be chosen from those recommended in the previous section.

Furthermore, non-attending students must present a study (in written or oral form) on a Greek city of their choice (even not included in those covered in class), to be discussed during the final exam.

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

Assessment methods

The test will consist of an oral exam, which has the purpose of evaluating the acquisition of basic knowledge in the field of Greek Archeology and History of Art. Particular attention will therefore be paid to the solidity of the geographical and chronological reference framework of each site and each monument. The acquisition of specialized language will be evaluated very positively. The purpose of the exam is also to verify the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student, through the study of the assigned bibliography. Given the importance of class attendance, the following evaluation parameters will be adopted for attending students and for non-attending students.

Attending students

 The student's ability to actively participate in the lessons will be assessed: these skills, added to the achievement of a thorough understanding of the subject dealt with during the lessons, with the demonstration of critical sense and with adequate verbal means of expression, will be evaluated with the maximum scores (27-30 with honors).

Attendance to lectures, associated with a predominantly mnemonic acquisition of the course subject and not fully satisfactory verbal expression and logical skills, will be evaluated with a score between good (24-26) and satisfactory (21-23).

Attendance to lessons, associated with minimal acquisition of the course subject and with inadequate verbal expression and logical skills, will be evaluated with sufficient scores (18-20).

The absence of a minimum acquisition of the course subject combined with inadequate verbal expression and logical skills, will be evaluated with insufficient score, which involves repeating the exam.

Non-attending students

Non-attending students will be assessed above all on the ability to use the bibliography and multimedia tools provided to properly expose the course contents. This ability, combined with the achievement of an exhaustive understanding of the subject covered during the lessons, with the demonstration of critical sense and with adequate verbal expression means, will be evaluated with maximum scores (27-30 with honors).

A predominantly mnemonic acquisition of the course subject, with not fully satisfactory verbal expression and logical skills, will be evaluated with a score between good (24-26) and satisfactory (21-23).

A minimum acquisition of the course subject, with inadequate verbal expression and logical skills, will be assessed with a sufficient score (18-20).

The absence of a minimum acquisition of the subject of the course combined with inadequate verbal expression and logical skills, will be evaluated with insufficient score, which requires the repetition of the entire exam.

Teaching tools

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

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Lepore