Ancient Sicily: History, Archaeology, Culture, Landscape

Undergraduate / Graduate

Standing at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, the island of Sicily played a crucial role-geographically, politically, economically, and culturally-in the history of the ancient world, often as the site of intense contestation and cultural interaction between different peoples and cultures (whether indigenous Sicilian, Greek, Punic, or Roman). In this course, we will explore the history, archaeology, culture, and landscape of ancient Sicily from the archaic period to late antiquity, through the study of texts, archaeological sites, and objects. Topics and themes to be explored along the way include ecology and landscape; colonization and identity (e.g., "Hellenization," "Romanization"); cultural, technological, and artistic developments and trends (including drama, athletics, and architecture); tyranny, empire, and government; myth and religion; agriculture, slavery, and villa culture.