54
Archeology, Art History and Philosophy of East Asia
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the archaeology and ancient art of East Asia, equipping them with the knowledge and analytical tools necessary to identify, distinguish, and interpret the principal material productions, technologies, and artistic expressions of the region. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding the role of material culture in the reconstruction of past societies. The course will also explore the dynamics of interaction, exchange, and cultural transmission among the different regions of East Asia throughout antiquity.
Applying knowledge and understanding
By the end of the course, students will have acquired the knowledge required to identify, place in time and space, and analytically describe ancient East Asian sites, monuments, and artefacts. They will also acquire the methodological tools to analyse fieldwork and scholarly approaches in East Asian archaeology.
Making judgments
Students will be able to contextualise artefacts within their historical, geographical, and economic settings, and evaluate their significance. They will also be able to respond critically to interpretive challenges emerging from the study of material culture.
Communication skills
Students will develop the ability to describe and discuss archaeological and artistic objects using discipline-specific vocabulary and appropriate methodological frameworks.
Learning skills
Students will acquire the competencies and terminology needed to undertake further academic work in East Asian archaeology and art history with a good degree of independence
Course Prerequisites
For non-attending or working students, it is important to possess a foundational understanding of thehistory and geography of East Asia.
Teaching Methods
Assessment Methods
Achievement of the expected learning outcomes will be assessed through an oral examination. The examination will begin with a short PowerPoint presentation prepared by the student on a topic of their choice from among those covered during the course. The presentation will be followed by a discussion of the selected topic and by questions addressing the remaining course contents.
The guided research activities carried out during the course are reserved for attending students and are intended to support the preparation of the presentation to be discussed during the final examination.
The examination is normally conducted in Italian. Upon request, students may take the examination in English or French.
The final mark, expressed on a scale of thirty, is intended to assess the students' ability to identify, describe, analyse, and contextualise the materials, artefacts, monuments, and artistic expressions of ancient East Asia, as well as to present and critically discuss a research topic. Assessment criteria include the completeness and accuracy of the knowledge acquired, the appropriate use of specialist terminology, analytical and contextualisation skills, and the clarity and effectiveness of the oral presentation.
Texts
- C. Visconti, Un secolo di archeologia cinese. Storia della disciplina dall’inizio del XX secolo ai giorni nostri, Florence: Mondadori, 2016.
- W. Steinhaus, S. Kaner, M. Jinno, S. Shoda (eds), An Illustrated Companion to Japanese Archaeology, Oxford: Archaeopress, 2020.
- A. De Benedittis, Storia delle Coree, Venice: Cafoscarina, 2026.
The publications listed above constitute the required bibliography for the course. For the examination, students are expected to study only those sections of the volumes relevant to the topics included in the syllabus, according to the instructions provided by the instructor.
Additional material will be made available to students for the practical workshop session.
The visual and photographic materials used during the lectures will be made available through the University's CLAOR e-learning platform, based on the open-source Moodle system, as well as through Microsoft Teams, in order to facilitate access to learning resources and support independent study.
The course does not provide a separate syllabus for non-attending students. Students who are unable to attend classes regularly are encouraged to contact the instructor well in advance so that any necessary adjustments to the programme can be discussed in relation to their individual course of study.
Contents
Course Title: Introduction to the Archaeology of East Asia: From the Neolithic to the Introduction of Buddhism
Syllabus Topics:
- East Asia: a geographical and cultural introduction
- Archaeology in China: history of research, archaeological practice, current research trends, and methodological approaches
- Archaeology in Japan: history of research, archaeological practice, current research trends, and methodological approaches; an introduction to the prehistoric archaeology of the Japanese archipelago
- Archaeology in Korea: a brief introductory overview
- The major Neolithic cultures of China; ceramic production technologies; jade craftsmanship
- The Jōmon period: settlements, pottery, and clay figurines
- The Bronze Age in East Asia
- The Yayoi culture: interactions and exchanges between Han China and Japan
- Funerary archaeology in East Asia
- The Mausoleum of the First Emperor
- The introduction of Buddhism to East Asia
The course includes a laboratory component devoted to the study of archaeological materials, held at the Umberto Scerrato Museum of Oriental Art.