Basic knowledge of Roman History and Greek Archaeology

The objective of the course is to provide a basic knowledge of Roman archaeology, with particular attention to urbanism, architecture and figurative arts (sculpture and painting) from the Republican period to Late antiquity. The lessons will focus on the city of Rome, from its birth to its urban and monumental development, providing the students with some critical tools for the study of archaeological contexts and monuments

• Knowledge and understanding

Knowledge and understanding of the main topics and conceptual systems of the discipline, on figurative arts, urban planning, and architecture in ancient Rome.

• Ability to apply knowledge and understanding

Ability to apply knowledge through a correct classification of artistic productions and material culture, placing them in their historical social and cultural context.

- Autonomy of judgment

Ability to critically analyse the meaning of Roman material culture in its historical and cultural context

- Communication skills

Communication skills and appropriate language in the description of monuments and images of the Roman art.

-          Learning ability

Ability to learn the historical evolution of the discipline and the methodologies of archaeological and historical-artistic research.

The course will be based on lectures with Powerpoint presentations. Lessons attendance is highly recommended. On request, the teaching staff will provide extra support during the self-learning hours.

Oral examination.

The student will study the recommended textbook and discuss some of the topics presented during the lessons. In particular, the student will be evaluated considering: knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, ability to apply knowledge acquired, synthesis and formal correctness in the exposition and ability to argue one's thesis/autonomy of judgment.

In the evaluation of the exam, the determination of the final grade considers the following elements:

30 with honors: excellent evaluation; comprehensive and rich preparation; in the presentation, accurate expression, confident knowledge of the topics, clarity of exposition,.

 30: very good evaluation; comprehensive preparation, with good ability to make connections; in the presentation, proper expression, fairly confident knowledge; clarity of exposition.

29-28: very good evaluation; comprehensive preparation with connections; in the presentation, some uncertainty in expression, fairly confident knowledge, not entirely clear exposition.

 27-26: good evaluation; comprehensive preparation; reasonably confident presentation, uncertainties in exposition.

25-24: moderately good evaluation; approximately complete preparation, occasional inaccuracies and/or gaps; in the presentation, occasional terminological or conceptual confusions.

23-22: more than sufficient evaluation; nearly complete preparation, gaps and/or inaccuracies; in the presentation, some confusion of terms and concepts.

 21-20: sufficient evaluation; approximately complete preparation, inaccuracies, gaps; in the presentation, approximate use of terms and concepts.

 19-18: barely sufficient evaluation; limited preparation (many inaccuracies and various gaps); in the presentation, confusion of terms and concepts.

 < 18: insufficient evaluation; insufficient preparation; insufficient presentation.

Students can book the final exam exclusively by using the VOL system.

Assessment sessions

ORDINARY SESSIONS:

June 11th 2025

June 30th 2025

July15th 2025

September 1st 2025

November 11 2025

January 20th 2026

February 5th 2026

February 20th 2026

March 31st 2026

EXTRAORDINARY SESSION (reserved for undergraduates and non-course students):

May 14th 2025

10:00 am in the teacher's office

Reception hours:

by appointment agreed by email.

Exam commission:

Prof. Florinda Notarstefano (president)

Prof. Grazia Semeraro

  Prof. Caterina Mannino

Introduction to Roman archaeology from the 9th century BCE to the 7th century CE.

• The Early Romans and Their Ancestors (ca. 1000 - 500 BCE)
• The Roman Republic's Rise and Fall (509 - 31 BCE)
• Augustus and the Early Roman Empire (31 BCE - 1st century CE)
• Rome at its Zenith (2nd century CE)
• Crisis and Conclusion (3rd to 7th centuries CE)

Textbook  for attending and non-attending students:

M. D. Fullerton, Art & Archaeology of the Roman World, Thames & Hudson 2020

Recommended further readings:

- B. Borg (ed.), A Companion to Roman Art, Wiley Blackwell 2015.

- R. B. Ulrich, C. K. Quenemoen (eds.), A Companion to Roman Architecture, Wiley Blackwell 2013 (chapters 3, 4, 5)

Further materials will be provided during the lessons.

Non-attending students must agree on a specific program with the teacher with adequate supplementary bibliography.