Pompeii: Art and Culture in a Roman Town
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| CLAR3030 | Classics and Archaeology | 3 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- CLAR3030
- School
- Classics and Archaeology
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module explores the urban image and visual culture of the best-preserved ancient Roman city, Pompeii, throughout the early imperial period and to its end in AD 79. It examines its history and topography, and analyses individual urban structures, architectural choices, sculptural and other artistic displays and monuments, their place in Roman urban development, their political, social, economic or religious function and their subsequent use and influence, including in the modern reception of ancient Pompeii.
Topics include: problems of studying "urban fabric", Pompeii as a melting pot of different cultural traditions, public & religious spaces in a Roman town (fora and temples, routes through the city, trade & commerce, sculptural/pictorial displays), entertainment and hygiene (theatres, baths and brothels), the domestic context (intra- and extra-mural living, interior decoration & wall-painting) and the funerary sphere (self-representation and cultural traditions).
Target Students
Year 2 and Year 3 Classics students
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 5 weeks
- One 1-hour lecture each week for 5 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: 3000 words - discussing a problem from a selection of six
- 50% Exam 1 (2-hour): 2 hours - 4 picture gobbets
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
To become familiar with a Roman town, its architectural layout, functional spaces and visual culture. To provide a comprehensive overview of the history, topography, art and archaeology of an ancient Roman town, and of its urban fabric and visual culture - social, political, religious and otherwise. By the end of this module students will have a clear grasp of the topography of ancient Pompeii, of the architectural development and of the use and decoration of urban - public and domestic - spaces and buildings, including sculpture, relief, wall-painting, mosaics and the minor arts.Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module you will:
1. Understand the most important elements of the history, urban fabric and visual culture of an ancient Roman town.
2. Be familiar with the topography of Pompeii and its immediate surroundings.
3. Be able to identify the urban spaces, architectural layouts, principal monuments and artistic elements and materials used in Pompeii, and the main historical developments of these features.
4. Understand the political, social, economic and religious functions of these urban features, as well as their subsequent uses and influences.
5. Be able to select, sift and synthesize information from a range of visual and literary evidence to construct coherent and critical arguments both in written work and in presentations.
6. Be familiar with recent discoveries, debates and controversies in Roman urban studies.
7. Be familiar with the main monuments and collections of and studies on Pompeii, and be able to use these resources effectively.