Intro to Roman ArtArchaeology

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course examines ancient Roman innovations in architecture, engineering, city planning, and the visual arts. Lectures trace the development and transformation of Roman material culture from the Iron-Age origins of the city of Rome to the reign of Constantine the Great in the 4th century A.D. Students will learn to identify artifacts, monuments, and sites from across the Empire and to understand their cultural, political, and social significance. Highlights include: the Colosseum; aqueducts; marble sarcophagi; the Pantheon; portraits that appear true to life; the Library of Celsus at Ephesus; and the archaeological wonders of Pompeii and Herculaneum. We will discuss the theory and methods of classical archaeology and explore new directions in the interpretation of the ancient Roman past through its material remains.