04447 - Phoenician and Punic Archaeology

Learning outcomes

The course provides the basic knowledge for the study of Phoenician and Punic civilization, analyzing diachronically the historical and archaeological data concerning the Levant and the other regions of the Mediterranean Basin, from the beginning of the Iron Age to the Romanization. At the end of the course the student:

- reaches a deep understanding of the different expressions of Phoenician and Punic civilization, with regard to the epigraphic, economic, numismatic, artistic and religious aspects;

- is able to correctly evaluate the outcomes of the cultural interactions between the Phoenician and the other Mediterranean cultures.

Course contents

• Introduction to Phoenician and Punic Archaeology.

• Literary sources.

• Phoenician colonization in the Mediterranean: settlement dynamics and chronological, geographical, religious, economic and social aspects.

• History and archeology of Carthage from the foundation to 146 BC.
  
  
• The Carthaginian expansion: North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, Malta, Iberian Peninsula.

• Art and craft production: technological aspects and manufacturing centers.
  
  
• The categories of art and craft production: stone relief and statuary, jewellery, glyptics, amulets, razors, ostrich eggs, pottery.

Readings/Bibliography

The exam preparation will include the class notes and the following books and articles:

• S. Moscati, Fenicio o punico o cartaginese, in Rivista di Studi Fenici, 16 (1988), pp. 3-13.
  
  
• E. Acquaro, I Fenici fra Oriente e Occidente, Cinisello Balsamo 2003.
  
  
• M.E. Aubet, Tyre and Its Colonial Expansion, in C. López-Ruiz, B.R. Doak (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean, Oxford 2019, pp. 75-87.
  

• R. Secci, Carthaginian Expansion in the Central-Western Mediterranean (8th-3rd Century BC): Deconstructing and reconstructing paradigms, in Byrsa. Scritti sull'antico Oriente mediterraneo 45-46 (2024),pp. 211-249.

Further bibliography will be provided during the lessons.

Students who have attended at least 50 out of 60 class hours will be considered to have met the attendance requirement.
Non-attending students must prepare for the exam based on the following reading list:

• S. Moscati, Fenicio o punico o cartaginese, in Rivista di Studi Fenici, 16 (1988), pp. 3-13.
  
  
• E. Acquaro, I Fenici fra Oriente e Occidente, Cinisello Balsamo 2003.
  
  
• S.F. Bondì - M. Botto - G. Garbati - I. Oggiano, Fenici e Cartaginesi. Una civiltà mediterranea, Roma 2009, pp. 1-382.
  
  
• M.E. Aubet, Tyre and Its Colonial Expansion, in C. López-Ruiz, B.R. Doak (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean, Oxford 2019, pp. 75-87.

• R. Secci, Carthaginian Expansion in the Central-Western Mediterranean (8th-3rd Century BC): Deconstructing and reconstructing paradigms, in Byrsa. Scritti sull'antico Oriente mediterraneo 45-46 (2024), pp. 211-249.
  

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.

Assessment methods

Oral examination. The student will have to be able to outline the main historical issues about the Phoenician civilization and to frame the iconographic material discussed in classes in the cultural and historical context, demonstrating property of language and ability of grasping connections, differences and comparisons between the different kinds of documentation. Specifically, the exam will consist of questions on central topics of the discipline and tests of recognition of archaeological artefacts, plans of settlements or monuments of particular interest, selected from those examined in class or treated in the reference bibliography.

Attending and non-attending students will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

• An in-depth knowledge of the course contents, highlighted by a high capacity to frame the archaeological and iconographic documentation in the historical-cultural context of reference, by a reasoned exposure and a good property of language, will be evaluated with the maximum grading (28-30 con Lode);
• a non-optimal knowledge of the course contents, highlighted by an uncertain and/or mainly mnemonic exposure and combined with inadequate capacity of historical-cultural contextualization, will be assessed in a grading range from good (25-27) to satisfactory (21-24);
• A superficial knowledge of the course contents, combined with a mainly mnemonic acquisition, will be evaluated with a sufficient grading (18-21);
  
• The absence of a minimum knowledge of the course contents, combined with inadequate logical and linguistic skills, will be evaluated with an insufficient grading even in spite of a regular attendance.

With regard to assessment, the use of AI is prohibited. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

Slides and other audiovisual supports; photocopies and pdf articles; web resources.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Raimondo Secci