NATURE IN ROMAN ART

Credit Hours: 3 · Graduate

Images of nature abound in ancient Roman art, from delicate flowers decorating cups, to intricate vines on temple exteriors, to large landscape scenes painted on the walls of houses. This course will explore the many ways in which Romans represented the natural world in their visual art, and what these modes of representation can tell us about ancient attitudes towards the environment. In addition to examining Roman paintings, architecture, and portable objects, we will read selections from ancient texts in translation, as well as modern ecocritical studies. The goal will be not only to build a better understanding of nature imagery as a genre in Roman art, but to contextualize this imagery against other historical representations of “landscape.” Taking this broad view, we will ask what art can reveal about human modes of interaction with the natural world, both in the past and today. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for HART 588 if student has credit for HART 388.