54
Classic Archaeology
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The course aims to equip students with the knowledge and methodological tools necessary to understand the technical, artistic and contextual aspects of craft production.
CAPACITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
By the end of the course, students should be able to create basic presentations on specific themes, demonstrating their ability to describe and compare different products and correctly place them in context.
FURTHER EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Autonomy of judgement:
By the end of the course, students should be able to independently recognise the products and production processes covered by the course and refer to them in context.
Communication skills:
By the end of the course, students should be able to concisely and appropriately summarise and comment on the course as a whole.
Learning skills:
By the end of the course, students should have acquired the critical skills necessary to correctly observe and describe the course materials, as well as independently finding basic bibliographic and iconographic resources.
Non-attending students are required to have an initial face-to-face interview with the lecturer to help them orient themselves to their studies.
Course Prerequisites
It is advisable to have studied one or more subjects related to archaeology and the classical world, focusing on ancient Mediterranean societies between the 8th century BC and the 3rd century AD.
Teaching Methods
Teaching includes lectures, the projection of teaching films, and the reading in class of specialised texts that are clearly explained and related to the course topics. These lectures are organised into teaching units relating to the main topics on the syllabus. Approximately one quarter of the teaching units are dedicated to short student-led presentations on individual productions and/or products, which test the ability to apply knowledge and link the examination bibliography to specific production aspects. These exercises also aim to develop students' ability to make proper use of web resources, as well as allowing them to apply their descriptive skills and experiment with the specialist language of archaeology in relation to the course topics. At least one well-prepared visit to the National Archaeological Museum is planned.
Short presentations in English of the topics covered in the lectures are planned for ERASMUS students who are not fluent in Italian. These presentations are designed to introduce Italian students to technical terms widely used in international specialist literature.
Assessment Methods
The oral examination covers the topics dealt with in the teaching units. One or more aspects related to the general themes of the course may be explored in depth. The assessment will start with an evaluation of fundamental knowledge relating to archaeological materials. Students will be asked to recognise and comment on the iconographic material used during the lectures and contained in the bibliography and/or teaching materials, which are available to students who have asked the lecturer to be included in the TEAM, whether they are attending or not. The assessment will cover the correct use of terminology, the ability to apply analysis procedures and conduct such analysis on various materials, completeness of information and the ability to apply methodologies proper to the discipline.
The final assessment, expressed in 30ths, aims to ascertain the acquisition of skills relating to the topics covered in the teaching units, as well as general knowledge of the subject. Analytical, synthetic, and expository skills; a critical approach to the subject; the completeness of the programme carried out; and bibliographical competence will be assessed. Contribution to group work and exercises carried out during the lectures will also be assessed.
Language of the examination: Italian or English (if preferred by Erasmus students).
Texts
D. Manacorda, Lezioni di archeologia, Roma-Bari 2008 (cap. terzo: “Arte, storia, archeologia”, pp. 46-72; chapter 4: “Una metafora biologica”, pp. 73-147).
G. Bejor et al., Botteghe e artigiani. Marmorari, bronzisti, ceramisti e vetrai nell'antichità classica, Milano 2012.
J. Boardman, La ceramica antica, Mondadori editore, 1984 (chapters: “I vasi greci”, “Roma e la produzione dell’impero”, “Il commercio della ceramica nel mondo antico”), p. 32-64 (with accompanying iconographic apparatus) The volume also contains a useful glossary and an overview of ancient ceramic shapes (p. 266–273).
Additional resources (not mandatory for the exam):
C. Renfrew - P. Bahn, Archeologia. Teoria, metodi, pratiche, 2^ ed. it., Bologna 2006, pp. 308-348 (chapter 8: "La tecnologia"; chapter 9: "Il commercio e gli scambi").
A. Tempesta, “I quartieri artigiani”, in S. Settis (ed.), I Greci. Storia Cultura Arte Società, vol. 4 Atlante, parte II, Einaudi. Torino 2002, p. 1065-1123.
H.A. Shapiro, “Tradizioni regionali, botteghe e stili d’arte”, I Greci. Storia Cultura Arte Società, vol. II/I, Einaudi. Torino 2002, p. 1065-1123.
Ch. von Hess, Capolavori greci in calchi romani : Il rinvenimento di Baia e la tecnica degli antichi copisti, Soprintendenza Archeologica di Napoli e Caserta, 1993.
G. M. Sanidas, « La ville infecte ? Origines et gestion des nuisances artisanales urbaines dans l’Athènes classique », Mélanges de l'École française de Rome - Antiquité [En ligne], 132-2 | 2020, mis en ligne le 25 février 2021, consulté le 13 avril 2021. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/mefra/9452 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/mefra.9452
Contents
The course covers the main forms of craftsmanship in classical antiquity. It illustrates the places where ceramists, bronze workers, marble workers and glassmakers produced their work, and the technical procedures they used.
List of topics:
1. Material culture and the questions of the archaeologist.
2. From excavation to laboratory and museum: the principles governing the classification and use of artefacts as documentary sources for studying archaeological and historical contexts.
3. Workshops and craftsmen: places of ancient production in relation to materials and societies; organisation of work; craft districts; itinerant craftsmen; slaves. The environmental impact of processing plants.
4. Ceramics in archaeology: an introduction to the long-term technology of ceramic production.
5. The main ceramic productions of the Greek world: the forms and functions of vessels from the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods.
6. Fundamentals for the Study of Attic Vases: Forms, Decorative Apparatus and Painters; Guide to the Beazley Archive, Oxford Online.
7. Classical World Products in the Magna Graecia Section of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
8. Pottery from the Hellenistic and Roman Ages. Introduction to the study of black glazes, terra sigillata, and other fine and common pottery, as well as transport containers.
9. In the Bronze Worker's Workshop: Technical Aspects of Archaic and Classical Manufacture. Working tools and metal vessels.
10. Working with marble: from quarry to workshop. Sculptures and architectural works in the Classical world.
11. Large-scale sculptural production: copies and variants. Evidence from the Roman Baths at Baia.
12. From glass paste to glass. A brief review of the main productions and techniques.
13. Glass manufacturing in the Roman era (including a visit to the collections of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples).
During the lessons, you will be asked to describe archaeological objects. These self-assessment tests allow you to check your level of learning and adapt your studies accordingly.
Course Language
Italian
More information
Erasmus students are kindly requested to contact their lecturer at the beginning of the course to arrange an interview, which will allow for possible adaptations to be made to the examination texts.