Archaeology

This course presents the practice of contemporary archaeology research in the context of the practice of human sciences. It reflects on the study of materiality and its sources, concentrating on the practices central to the discipline; notably, the establishment of facts.

This course examines the theory and practice of the management of museum collections; standard processes of daily collection management work; content of museum collections from the collection of sources to the registration, storage and retrieval; relevant reports and documents in the development of collection management; policy formulation and working procedures related to collection management; direction of museum collection management at home and abroad.

This is a special studies course involving an internship with a corporate, public, governmental, or private organization, arranged with the Study Center Director of Liaison Officer. Specific internships vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. A substantial paper or series of reports is required. Units vary depending on the contact hours and method of assessment. Graded P/NP only.

The Roman Empire, although largely a product of warfare, lasted for half a millennium. In many ways it still survives, embedded in present institutions, explicitly addressed in contemporary architecture and constantly reemerging in literature, cinema and most recently, in computer games. This course primarily focuses on how this big empire came into being and why it lasted for so long. The course reviews the City, the Italian core land, and the provinces in an attempt to answer the following questions about the nature of this empire: How far was life in the provinces aligned with the model of the City? What purpose did monumentalization fulfill? What did it mean to be Roman? What do we know about the economic and social basis of this empire? How much did this empire differ from other contemporary constructs, such as China and Parthia?

The course focuses on the fundamental elements of Roman artistic, architectural, and urban civilization and their role in the processes of cultural integration. The course highlights historical and cultural issues and places artistic productions in their social, political, and economic contexts in order to arrive at sound historical reconstructions. Students are encouraged to explore independently scientific instruments and bibliographical references that are of interest to them. The course focuses on typologies, functions, and significance of Roman monuments and artistic expressions. Attention is placed on chronological questions and the history of research methodologies. The course includes an optional seminar for art history majors. Specific topics include: A Plural Art–artistic Roman cultures from the Archaic period to the Late Antiquity; Rome in the Archaic period–places of power, cultural spaces, houses; the urbanistic and monumental evolution of the Urbe in the Republican and Imperial age; places of power, temples, and sanctuaries, spaces of entertainment, houses, tombs; originality of Roman art, relationships between Greek art and Classicisms; Romanization–diffusion and assimilation of romanitas, town urbanism and its public and private monuments; art of construction–techniques and materials; artistic “languages” Arte colta and arte plebea; sculpture, painting, and mosaics, Achillean statues, historical rendering, portraits. Assessment is based on an oral exam aimed at verifying knowledge of the materials presented in class as well as the assigned readings. Exchange students are given the option of a written exam in lieu of the oral exam, if they prefer. The written exam consists of four essay questions on the general themes of the course and the identification and analysis of specific works of art.

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. This course explores the interplay between archaeology/archaeological interpretation and society through time, and how the former can be, and has been used by different actors to lay claims on specific aspects of the past whose strategic importance resonates today. The course goes through some of the main theoretical debates in archaeology, highlighting how current views of our past are grounded in recent and not-so-recent socio-political developments at various regional, national, and supra national scales. From this basic development the course goes on to assess the relationship between archaeology and the new emerging field of heritage studies with a specific attention to the critical heritage approach. The topics covered include: archaeology from nationalism to Colonialism; archaeology and politics in the twentieth century; archaeology between science and humanities; archaeology and socio-cultural evolution; critical archaeology and multiple voices; from interaction to New Materialism and back; identity and mobility; archaeology, Capitalism, and Patrimonialization; ownership; the critical heritage approach; archaeological and heritage value – from money to affection; and the role of the mediators today.

This course provides a long chronological overview of the archaeology of this island archipelago, from its earliest inhabitation to the great changes of the modern era. It explores this through the artefacts, landscapes, and buildings which help us understand different ways of life in the past, as well as the range of ideas and topics which archaeologists are interested in: social identity and conflict, creativity, technology, and ideology.