29641 - Archaeology and History of Ancient Roman Art (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student acquires the methods, instruments, competences and abilities necessary to a historical and cultural definition and contestualization of some important questions in Roman archaeology. The student - with the help of different types of resources (archaeological, historical, litterary resources) - will be capable of conducting a research in an appropriate way and of employing an adequate scientific bibliography. Moreover, he will be able to expose the results of his work, both in oral or written form, employing an appropriate iconography.

Course contents

STORIES FROM THINGS: MATERIALS, FORMS AND FUNCTIONS IN THE ROMAN WORLDS

The course is divided in two parts conceived as potentially independent from each other, so that the student can choose even to follow only the second part.

The first part (module I) offers an introduction to the discipline attentive to the most recent methodological orientations and to the growing importance attributed to the role of things and materials in historical reconstruction.

The second part (module II) is dedicated to the in-depth study of a specific theme: water cultures in the Roman world, between material evidence and collective imaginary.

In both modules, great attention is paid to the relationship between the different "agents" (places in the "Romanization" process), through the contextual re-reading of particularly significant case studies, relating to the public as well as the private scene.

The frontal lessons are integrated with other optional activities:

seminar activities;

a cycle of conferences, as an occasion of updates and information on work in progress, held by teachers and researchers from other universities and research institutions (in the formula of a dialogue between the teacher, the guest speaker and the students).

a study trip, with a destination that will be defined with the students at the beginning of the course;

archaeological excavations, between spring and autumn 2025, in POMPEII and TUNISIA.

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Module I (introduction).

Roman worlds: a plural culture

I.1. From the natural environment to the anthropized landscape.

Settlements and infrastructure. Shapes of cities and territories.

Land routes and water routes.

The public scene: built spaces and architectural forms.

Living in the city and in the territory (domus, insulae, casae, villae, farms).

Places and spaces of the defuncts.

I.2. Material culture.

Craftsmanship and artistic production.

I.3. The world of images.

Art markets. A multi-layered reality, between elites, middle classes and the "lowest".

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Module II (focus)

WATER CULTURES IN THE ROMAN WORLD: AD UTILITATEM ET VOLUPTATEM

II.1.Written sources.

II.2. The material evidence.

Case studies: Vesuvian region; Regio VIII; Tunisia.

II.2.1. Natural resources and infrastructures. Water management in cities and in the territory: supply; storage; distribution; disposal.

II.2.2. Cisterns, wells, aqueducts, sewers.

II.2.3. Fountains and nymphaeums

II.2.4. Cults and images

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Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination

 

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS will have to agree with the Professor on the supplementary readings that will replace the lecture notes.

FOREIGN STUDENTS are invited to contact the teacher to define the most appropriate readings for their educational path at their home University.

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Module I and Module II

A. NOTES from the lessons

B. 1 paper, on a topic previously agreed with the teacher.

C. Mandatory readings

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C Module I,

one of the following options:

1.a – R. Bianchi Bandinelli, Roma. L’arte romana nel centro del potere, Milano, BUR, 1976;

1.b - R. Bianchi Bandinelli,Roma. La fine dell’arte antica, Milano, BUR, 1976

or

2. - M. Papini, Arte Romana, Milano, Mondadori, 2022

or

3. - G. Bejor et alii, Arte e Archeologia delle province romane, Mondadori

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C. Module II,

one of the following options:

A.

P. Gros, L' architettura romana. Dagli inizi del III secolo a. C. alla fine dell'alto impero. I monumenti pubblici, Milano, Longanesi, 2001

B.

G.A. Mansuelli, Roma e il mondo romano, I-II, Torino 1981

C.

D. Favro, F.K. Yegul, Roman Architecture and Urbanism: From the Origins to Late Antiquity, Cambridge, CUP, 2019.

D.

B. Borg (ed.), A Companion to Roman Art, 2015

E.

P. Gros, L'architecture romaine. Du debut du iii siecle av. j.c. a la fin du haut-empire. 2. maisons, palais, villas et tombeaux, Paris 2017 (3 ed.)

F.

R.E. Ukrich, C.K. Quenemoen (eds.), A Companion to Roman Architecture, 2013

G.

R. Tolle-Kastenbeien, Archeologia dell'acqua. La cultura idraulica nel mondo classico, Milano, Longanesi.

H.

A. Malissard, Les Romains et l'eau, Paris, Les Belles Lettres

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Optional in-depth readings on the topics covered will be indicated by the Professor during the course..

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Students not attending the course will add one 6 CFU) or two (12 CFU) readings, to be agreed with the teacher.

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Foreign students are invited to contact the Professor.

Teaching methods

The course promotes different approaches in order to develop the ability of tstudents in the domain of scientific research.

Frontal lessons, conducted in form of critic discussion, will make use of a great number of images: at the end of the course they will be given to students in pdf form.

Seminars, not mandatory, will treat in depth some specific themes: in order to promote the attitude of working in group, to participants will be asked to work together and then to prepare written works and video presentations. Results will be taken into consideration for the exam note.

At the end of the course, students will have the possibilty to participate in

 a study trip;

- educational archaeological excavations organized by the Vesuviana Program.

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Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

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During the academic year, exam sessions are scheduled in the following months:

February, March, April, May, June, July, September, October, November, December,

with an average of 3 or 4 exams per month,

for all students entitled to sit exams according to the University

rules

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The evaluation consists in an oral exam (questions about general or specific themes, recognition and description of monuments using photos and plans). It intends to evaluate:

• knowledge and critical comprehension of the lessons contents and bibliography,

  ability to relate some themes treated during the course,

  written work or works,

  fundamental notions of the discipline.

For attending students final exam will be aimed to verify the student's knowledge of the themes discussing during frontal lectures (only for attending students) as well as those treated in the program's texts.

Non-attending students will have to take an oral final exam about the themes treated in the program's texts.

The assessment will concentrate particularly on the skill displayed by the student in handling the sources and material in the exam bibliography and his ability to find and use information and examples to illustrate and correlate the various themes and problems addressed in the course.

The assessment will thus examine the student's:

- factual knowledge of the subject;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.                        
Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.
A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he displays significant errors in his understanding and failure to grasp the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.

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Foreign students will have the possibility to hold a written exam, based on four (4) images of Roman monuments (urbanism, architecture, sculptur, painting, mosaic, instrumentum ...)

 

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Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Video presentations

Office hours

See the website of Antonella Coralini