Archaeology

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. 

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced students. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course examines the various fields of Etruscan civilization and of the pre-Roman Italian world; explores how to use the critical tools for a correct reading of archaeological documentation integrating it with historical and epigraphic documentation; and examines the depth of the territory, also through visits to the main museums and archaeological areas of the region, which enables students to acquire a complete and conscious approach to the discipline.

This course examines the meaning, values, and characteristics of cultural relics; the basic methods and main objectives of cultural relics research; the frontier dynamics of cultural relics research; the relationship with other related disciplines; the history of cultural relics research; identification and dating; vessel shape; decoration; and craftsmanship.

This course aims to use archaeological finds and burial materials to explore various aspects of culture, religion, rituals, and politics in ancient China. The course will introduce the burial materials and contents of different periods through case studies, teach the research methods of burial art, how to organize and analyze the excavated materials, restore the space and environment of burial, and conduct research on cultural history, religious history, and social history.

This is a graduate level course that is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on the historical and epistemological relationships linking the development of archaeology and museology to colonialism. Special attention is placed on the current debates on decolonization and contemporary movements in countries with a colonial past that involve debates on topics such as repatriation of human remains and artefacts, local curators, and community archaeology. The course places the history of archaeology and museums in a wider epistemological framework and offers a critical analysis of archaeological and museological theory and practice. Students have a chance to apply their analytical skills to professional activities linked with the popularization and public use of archaeological and museum-linked expertise. The course deals with the development of Western archaeological/anthropological enquiry and museum collections in the wider historical and epistemological context of European colonial expansion and follows a roughly chronological order. Starting with the birth of antiquarian practices in the 16th century, the course explores the many ways in which scientific enquiry has been entangled with colonialism. Special attention is devoted to the study of extra-European peoples and pasts, with a specific focus on indigenous America. Selected case studies are explored in order to shed light on the ways in which the entanglement developed over the centuries, stressing not only how archaeological research and collecting practices benefited from European political domination of non-Western countries, but also how academic disciplines have been instrumental in providing the epistemological frameworks which legitimized colonial domination, thus creating a circular, self-sustaining relationship of mutual support. The last part of the course focuses on recent attempts at the decolonization of archeological and museum activities through the implementation of good practices such as collaborative and community archaeology, object repatriation, and indigenous curatorship.