93145 - Archaeology of Monuments and Memory (Lm)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have a general understanding of the information potential provided by monuments of the past and many other forms of material culture. They will be familiar with some key archaeological contexts regarding transmission of the social and cultural memory of groups and communities, in different time frames. By the end of the course students will possess the knowledge and appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to identify and deal with theoretical contexts rich in significance, whether monuments or material culture in general.

Course contents

The first part of the course will introduce the concepts of monument, monumentality, and memory in archaeology. Monuments will then be discussed with the perspective of considering these works as an integral element of the territory and in connection with past and present socio-economic realities. The course will deal with topics such as: 

• Definition of monument;
• Monumentality: meaning and importance;
• Memory in archaeology;
• Study of monuments and memory through archaeology, architecture, geography, and anthropology;
• Relationships between monuments and local communities;
• Memory as a feature of continuity brtween past and present;
• Cultural and economic implications connected to the heritage management;
• The role of UNESCO in the management, protection, conservation, and valorization policies of tangible and intangible heritage.
  

The second part of the course will deal with the above-described topics in relation to Central Asia, and more specifically to Uzbekistan and Samarkand in the historical period (from the Achaemenids to present-day), by using different case studies from the Uzbek-Italian Archaeological Project. The main topics will be:

• Monuments and monumentality in Central Asia;
• Monumentality of Central Asia after the Islamic conquest (early (th century)
• Monuments of the Timurid period (14-15th centuries);
• Human settlements and canals as monuments: creation, management, abandonment
• Evidence of archaeological memory in the local communities

Non-attending Students are invited to study the specific Bibliography or to contact the teacher to arrange an alternative program and bibliography.

Readings/Bibliography

• BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS AND NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

Parte one

1. Assmann, J. 2011. “Communicative and Cultural Memory.” Edited by P. Meusburger, M. Heffernan, and E. Wunder. Cultural Memories: The Geographical Point of View. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
2. Brysbaeret, A. 2018. “Constructing Monuments, Perceiving Monumentality: Introduction.” In Constructing Monuments, Perceiving Monumentality & the Economics of Building. Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to the Built Environment, edited by A. Brysbaert, V. Klinkenberg, A. Gutiérrez Garcia-Moreno, and I. Vikatou, 21–47. Leiden: Sidestone Press. LINK
3. Buccellati, F. 2019. “Monumentality: Research Approaches and Methodology.” In Size Matters - Understanding Monumentality Across Ancient Civilizations, edited by F. Buccellati, S. Hageneuer, S. van Der Heyden, and F. Levenson, 1st ed., 41–63. Histoire 146. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag. LINK 
4. Jones, S., and L. Russell. 2012. “Archaeology, Memory and Oral Tradition: An Introduction.” International Journal of Historical Archaeology 16: 267–83. LINK
5. Kelly, L. 2015. “Knowledge and Power in Oral Cultures.” In Knowledge and Power in Prehistoric Societies: Orality, Memory and the Transmission of Culture, 1st ed., 14–35. Cambridge University Press. LINK
6. Levenson, F. 2019. “Monuments and Monumentality – Different Perspectives.” In Size Matters - Understanding Monumentality Across Ancient Civilizations, edited by F. Buccellati, S. Hageneuer, S. van Der Heyden, and F. Levenson, 1st ed., 17–39. Histoire 146. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag. LINK
7. Osborne, J. F. 2014. “Monuments and Monumentality.” In Approaching Monumentality in Archaeology, edited by J. F. Osborne, 1–19. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Part two

1. Arapov, A. 2013. “Uzbekistan.” In Architecture, edited by B Glaudinov, 159–215. The Artistic Culture of Central Asia and Azerbaijan in the 9th-15th Centuries, IV. Samarkand-Tashkent: International Institute for Central Asian Studies. LINK
2. Mantellini, S., and A. E. Berdimuradov. 2019. “Evaluating the Human Impact on the Archaeological Landscape of Samarkand (Uzbekistan): A Diachronic Assessment of the Taylak District by Remote Sensing, Field Survey, and Local Knowledge.” Archaeological Research in Asia 20: 1–12. LINK
   

 

• ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS ONLY

Part one

1. Buccellati, F., S. Hageneuer, S. van Der Heyden, and F. Levenson. 2019. “Introduction.” In Size Matters - Understanding Monumentality Across Ancient Civilizations, edited by F. Buccellati, S. Hageneuer, S. van Der Heyden, and F. Levenson, 1st ed., 11–14. Histoire 146. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag. LINK 
2. Hageneuer, S., and S. van Der Heyden. 2019. “Perceiving Monumentality.” In Size Matters - Understanding Monumentality Across Ancient Civilizations, edited by F. Buccellati, S. Hageneuer, S. van Der Heyden, and F. Levenson, 1st ed., 65–89. Histoire 146. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag. LINK 
3. Meusburger, P., M. Heffernan, and E. Wunder. 2011. “Cultural Memories: An Introduction.” Edited by P. Meusburger, M. Heffernan, and E. Wunder. Cultural Memories: The Geographical Point of View. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
   

Part two

1. Ashrafyan, K Z. 1998. “Central Asia under Timur. From 1370 to the Early Fifteenth Century.” In The Age of Achievement: A.D. 750 to the End of the Fifteenth Century. Part One. The Historical, Social and Economic Setting, edited by M S Asimov and C E Bosworth, 319–45. History of Civilizations of Central Asia, IV. Paris: UNESCO Publishing. LINK [https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000112868]
2. Paksoy, H. B. 1992. “Central Asian Monuments. Introduction.” In Central Asian Monuments, edited by H. B. Paksoy, 2–4. Istanbul: ISIS Press. LINK
3. Pugachenkova, G. A. 2000. “Urban Development and Architecture. Part One. Transoxiana and Khurasan.” In The Age of Achievement: A.D. 750 to the End of the Fifteenth Century. Part Two: The Achievements, edited by C. E. Bosworth and M. S. Asimov, UNESCO Publishing, 507–56. History of Civilizations of Central Asia, IV. Paris. LINK

 

Teaching methods

Teaching method consists in frontal lectures and collective discussions on the treated topics and the suggested reading

Students are strongly encouraged to actively take part in the discussions.

Specialists will be involved during the course to speak about specific topics.

The course and lectures by specialists are entirely in English.

Assessment methods

Student can choose between the oral exam or the preparation of an essay that deals with the topics discussed during the course.

The exam is oral and consists of a verification of the knowledge acquired during the course through the ability to briefly and critically explain the topics addressed based on the content of the bibliography and the teaching materials provided (attending students) or the alternative program agreed with the teacher (non-attending students).

In the case of the essay, the topic must be agreed in advance with the Teacher, and delivered at least one week before the exam session.

The evaluation method out of thirty will be the same for attending and non-attending students and will be based on: knowledge of the topics; clarity in presentation; ability to synthesize; correct use of terminology; ability to formulate and develop critical and rigorous arguments of the topics discussed during the course.

Excellent knowledge and mastery of the above are necessary to obtain an excellent grade.

A student who attends at least 75% of the lectures is considered to be attending.

Teaching tools

The lectures and seminars of external specialists will be accompanied by slides, images, and documents made available to the Class on the VIRTUALE platform of the course.

The bibliography and readings for the evaluation exam will also be available to the Class on the VIRTUALE platform in compliance with copyright regulations. Other readings may be eventually available online or in the UNIBO libraries.

Students who, for reasons dependent on disabilities or specific learning disorders (DSA), need compensatory or dispensatory tools are invited to contact the appropriate office (LINK) and communicate such needs via email to the Teacher before the start of the course.

Students with such needs will be supported during the course and in preparing for the exam through individual interviews with the Teacher, bibliography in a foreign language, concept maps.

Office hours

See the website of Simone Mantellini