B1727 - Cities, Settlements and Production in the Roman Imperial World (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the students will have acquired general knowledge of the typical Roman types of settlements and productions, and the ability to critically analyse the data and information on the basis of the methodologies examined in the module. Focusing on the period between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, the course will be organised thematically and will include case studies from various parts of the empire that will be useful in highlighting regional differences but also the common factors that make us speak of a ‘Roman world’. The course will offer a reflection on the state of the art and the aims of current research.

Course contents

This module examines the types of settlements and productions that characterise the Roman world. Topics to be discusses include cities and their monumental apparatus, villages, villas and farms. Case studies drawn from different parts of the empire will highlight similarities and differences.

The module, organised thematically, will focus on the period going from the 1st c. BC to the 3rd century AD. Among the topics to be covered you will find: euergetism & public monuments; urbanisation; the economy of the villa; viticulture and oleiculture; trade; animal husbandry and wool and textile production;  fish salting.

Readings/Bibliography

Texts for the exam (in addition to class notes and powerpoint on the topics treated in the lectures)

Additional readings (strongly recommended ) will be indicated during the module. 

Towns/urbanization:

Gros, P. e M. Torelli, Storia dell’urbanistica. Il mondo romano, Bari 2010 (pp. 271-470). [required] 

J. Patterson, Landscapes & Cities: Rural Settlements and Civic Transformation in Early Imperial Italy, 2006 (pp. 89-183). (strongly recommended)

The countryside

Greene, K. The Archaeology of the Roman Economy. Tiptree 1986, pp. 67-141. [required]

Pollard, N. ‘Villas’, In A companion to Roman Italy. edited byi A. Cooley. Chichester 2016, chapter 17. [required]

Pujia, A. ‘Sulla produzione agricola della colonia romana di Cuicul’, Archeologia Classica, Vol. 67, 2016, pp. 645-666. [recommended]

Witcher, R.E. ‘Agricultural production in Roman Italy’. In A companion to Roman Italy. Edited by A. Cooley. Chichester 2016, capitolo 23. [required]

Witcher, R. E. ‘Broken pots and meaningless dots? Surveying the rural landscapes of Roman Italy.', Papers of the British School at Rome 74, 2006, pp. 39-72. [required]

[Recommended but not mandatory: chapters from 21 to 24 in A Companion to Ancient Agriculture edited by T. Howe e D. Hollander. Hoboken, NJ 2020, available as e-book in AlmaRE].

Production

G. Bejor, M.Castoldi, C. Lamburgo, E. Panero, Botteghe e artigiani. Marmorari, bronzisti, ceramisti e vetrai nell’antichità classica, Milano 2016. [required]

D. Gandolfi (ed.), La ceramica e i materiali di età romana. Classi, produzioni, commerci e consumi, Bordighera 2005 (esp. the section on amphorae).[required]

Marzano, A. Harvesting the Sea. Oxford 2013 (chapters 3-4). [required]

Marzano, A. ‘Agricultural Production in the Hinterland of Rome: Wine and Olive Oil’. In A. Bowman and A. Wilson (eds), The Roman Agricultural Economy. Organization, Investment, and Production. (Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy 3). Oxford: OUP, 85-106. [suggested]

ADDITIONAL MANDATORY EXAM TEXTS FOR STUDENTS WHO DO NOT ATTEND THE LECTURES

G. Bejor, M. T. Grassi, S. Maggi, F. Slavazzi, Arte e archeologia delle province romane, Milano 2011.

Ritti, T., Grewe, K., & Kessener, P. (2007). 'A relief of a water-powered stone saw mill on a sarcophagus at Hierapolis and its implications'. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 20, 139-163.

Marzano, A., Roman Villas in Central Italy. A Social and Economic History. Leiden & Boston: Brill 2007: chapters 4, 5, and 6.

Teaching methods

1) Face to face lectures

2) Seminar-style classes with active student participation 

Assessment methods

The exam for this module is an oral exam during which the student will be asked to discuss the themes presented in class and in the texts that constitute the exam programme.

The student is expected to show sufficient knowledge of the main theme and issues investigated in the course of the module. The discussion during the oral exam will also be the opportunity to evaluate the ability of the student to orient himself / herself  within the discipline.

Ability to present an organic overview and understanding of the themes of the course, together with critical analysis, use od specific and technical language, will score excellent marks. Knowledge by rote, ability of synthesis and use of terminology not always accurate will score a sufficient mark. Lacunae in knowledge and or use of inadeguate terminology will allow to just reach a pass mark. Important lacunae in knowledge, little or no knowledge of the scholarship onto topic will result in a fail.

Exam sessions are expected in the following months:

February, May, July, September/October, November;  for students in debt of exam/for all students.

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 appropriate adjustments. The request for such adjustments as approved by the disability office must be submitted to the lecturer in advance, at least 15 days before the exam date. The lecturer will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the course's teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Downloadable Powerpoints and handouts. 

Students who require specific services and changes to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office:https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students .

Office hours

See the website of Annalisa Marzano