Classics

This course is a detailed study of selected topics from the Archaic period, c.750-490 BC. It focuses on the origin and development of socio-cultural phenomena in the Greek world, from South Italy to Asia Minor. Topics include the development of new political systems such as tyranny, the origins of law and literacy, the formation of the polis, warfare and empire, as well as social issues such as the symposium and slavery.

This course examines myths in relation to culture and surveys representative theories of mythology. Students read classical myths, explore the cultural elements that gave rise to particular myths, and learn to apply this knowledge in an analysis of "modern" myths, beginning with folktales and local legends.   

Topics include What is myth and why is it relevant?, The Dawn, The Olympian Gods, Gods and Human Beings, Death and Rebirth, Demeter, Persephone, Dionysus, Apollo and Artemis, Aphrodite, Myth and History, Heroes and demigods, Theseus and the Minotaur, Herakles, The Trojan War, Justice, vengeance, and punishment, The Tragic House of Atreus, Fate vs. human will, Oedipus, Medieval myths, Faust and Satan, and Folktales. 

This course combines a bold and sweeping overview of the history of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East over two millennia, with an exploration of the nature of empires and imperialism in antiquity. Students explore how imperial states built and maintained their power (including their efforts to assert and justify their power to themselves and their subjects); the experiences of other populations and cultures that were conquered or incorporated into ancient empires; and the contested legacies of imperial states, both in antiquity and today. As well as tracing the histories of large imperial or hegemonic powers, such as the Achaemenid Persians, the Hellenistic Greek ‘kingdoms’ and Rome, the course also introduces students to the wide range of other cultures that lived under and alongside them, including those of Babylonia, Judea, and Egypt.

This course examines the constructed images and historical realities of some of the most important peoples in the ancient world, other than the Greeks and the Romans. The three main directions of the course are: (1) an analysis of the concept of ‘barbarian’ in the Classical world; (2) an examination of selected Greek and Roman sources on Northern barbarians, especially Celts and Germani; (3) a study of these same peoples ‘from within’, i.e. based on archaeological and linguistic evidence. The course investigates the role which the so-called ‘barbarians’ of northern Europe played in ancient history, from the earliest documented contacts with the Mediterranean during the Early Iron Age, to the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century AD.

The course provides advanced knowledge to the archaeology of Mesopotamia, Syria-Palestine, and Anatolia. It focuses on civilizations and artistic cultures of Mesopotamia, Syria-Palestine, and Anatolia during the Bronze and Iron ages. Students learn the methodologies and the perspectives of near eastern archaeology and art history. They learn to recognize and critically examine archaeological and visual materials, to characterize material culture, and acquire the necessary tools for framing data within their chronological, historical and political framework.

The course outlines Archaeology and Greek Art History, from the Protogeometric period to Hellenism. During the starting lessons, the teacher gives advice on the studying, explains the exam carrying out, and gives the outlines of the basic elements of the discipline, in order to fill in possible gaps in students' knowledge: Introduction to Greek civilization through its historical and geographical framework; the periodization and the specific terminology; and main aspects of architecture, urban planning, artistic, and handcrafted production of the Greek World (sculpture, painting, mosaic, pottery) in the Protogeometric, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods.

By the end of the course students have a basic knowledge of Greek civilization, in its historical and artistic development. They will be familiar with the history and geography of the first millennium BC, according to the traditional periodization of Greek civilization: Protogeometric, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. They will also have mastered the languages, topics, and methods of the discipline when interpreting artistic and cultural phenomena from a historical angle. They will be able to use cultural material to describe cultural encounters, be able to speak and write using terminology appropriate to their scientific discipline, and also have learned to listen, understand, and debate respectfully with different viewpoints, and know how to spot tie-ups among different disciplines.

The course is focused on the principal themes of the discipline with particular attention to typologies, functions, and significance of the Roman monuments and artistic expressions with spots on history of research, methods, and chronological questions. By the end of the course, thanks to the presentation and discussion of the basic components and main manifestations of Roman art, architecture, and town planning, students are familiar with the main themes of the discipline serving as a basis for the definition of the problems in a context of historical–cultural interaction. Moreover, students acquire the basic skills for independent use of the research tools and scientific bibliography and are able to reason critically and analyze or interpret data. They also learn to listen, understand, and debate respectfully with different viewpoints, and know how to spot tie-ups among different disciplines.

This course explores banquet culture in the Mediterranean, investigating the traditions of the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans. Our journey will take us to museums and archaeological sites in and around Rome, as well as Tuscany, Lazio, and Campania. In particular, we study the material remains from the Etruscan town of Tarquinia, the Villa of Tiberius at Sperlonga, the Greek city of Paestum, and the luxury villas of the Bay of Naples. As we explore these ancient aristocratic villas, we also explore the pastimes of the elite related to banquets, such as raising fish, birds, and flora, by studying their gardens, fisheries, and wine and olive presses, as well as the entertainment accompanying these feasts. Key ancient texts, such as the ancient Roman cookbook by Apicius, invite us into the Roman kitchen with original recipes and menus. Through the investigation of the ritual of feasting, this course assesses how the Roman banquet has shaped our ideas of culture, leisure, and status today.