Basic knowledge in humanities. No other prerequisite is requested.

The course provides a basic knowledge of the history of medieval art (4th-early 12th century) in the Mediterranean context and in connection with the Asian culture, focusing on the cultural spheres of artistic production in the Middle Ages and on the basic issues of periodization. The course also aims to provide the tools for a correct analysis of major works of art, as well as a good command of vocabulary in the field. Some of the most significant medieval monuments will be examined in depth.

Students must acquire a basic knowledge of the evolution of mediaeval art and develop the ability to fully understand the problems of periodisation; they must be able to define the cultural spheres of artistic production in the Middle Ages, know the most representative works and be able to recognise, contextualise, analyse and discuss them with a good command of vocabulary and autonomous judgement.

With particular reference to the Dublin Descriptors, students are expected to acquire the following skills:

Knowledge and understanding:

• knowledge of artistic production in the Middle Ages;
• historical and stylistic understanding of the most important works of art/monuments.

Applying knowledge and understanding:

• ability to identify the cultural context of less-known works of art/monuments;
• skills in technical, iconographic and stylistic analysis of the artwork(s)/monument(s).

Making judgements:

• ability to autonomously research of works of art/monuments and/or historical-artistic contexts on Internet and/or in the areas related to the Middle Ages.

Communication skills:

• ability to reframe and summarise discussion on works of art/monuments in English.

Learning skills:

• ability to update and develop English language and subject skills through autonomous work and collaborative learning.

Among the transversal skills developed and expected at the end of the course are: the ability to analyse and synthesise information acquired during the lessons and/or gathered independently and from various sources (books, internet, themed cultural programmes, etc.); the ability to solve problems; the ability to critically discuss the concepts learnt and to effectively convey them to an audience that is varied in terms of origin, age and cultural level.

The course will develop with face-to-face lectures during which PowerPoint presentations will be projected. PowerPoint presentations will be at disposal of the students.

Two collective seminars (4 hours) will be dedicated to East-West cultural exchange case-studies.

Student assessments: Written tests on major topics. Those students not satisfied of the final grade gained in the written tests will have the possibility to better it with oral exams.

The assessment criteria are elated to: accuracy in the discussion; a secure knowledge of topics; exposition and contents; ability to autonomously identify relations between artistic facts, people, and places in the art of the Middle Ages (see scheme below).

These assessment methods ascertain the achievement of the expected learning outcomes and in particular of the specific competences described in the Course objectives.

Exams appointments will be fixed in accordance to the suggested period by administrative staff of NWU.

The exam committee is composed of: Manuela De Giorgi (Chief), Daniela Caracciolo, Raffaele Casciaro, Lucinia Speciale (Members).

Professor Manuela De Giorgi meets (online/in person) students by appointment mailing to manuela.degiorgi@unisalento.it.

The teaching programme of the course will develop the following topics:

• Introduction to Early Christianity and the Age of Constantine (Christian basilicas; early Christian architecture in Milan and Europe);
• Catacombs and sarcophagi; monumental decoration of sacred spaces;
• Byzantium-‘New Rome’: the Age of Justinian; Ravenna: the art of mosaic and the ‘Byzantine’ Italy;
• The art(s) of the ‘Barbarians’ in Europe: architecture and visual culture in Europe;
• Carolingian Renaissance and Ottonian art; illuminated manuscripts and minor arts (8th-11th century);
• The evolving concept of ‘sacred image’; European art between Byzantine Christianity and Islamic influence;
• The raise of Romanesque architecture: historical outline and the European context; Romanesque art and architecture in Italy: a ‘new’ geography.

I. Attending students:

- M. Stokstad, Medieval Art, 2nd ed., Boulder: Westview Press, 2004, pp. 1-201.

PLEASE NOTE that textbook is COMPULSORY.

Secondary bibliography (for collective seminars to be discussed in class):

- L. Tang, «Traces of Christianity in the Land of the Tangut from the 8th to the 14th Century», in K. Parry, G. Mikkelsen (eds.), Byzantium to China: Religion, History and Culture on the Silk Roads. Studies in Honour of Samuel N.C. Lieu, Leiden: Brill, 2022 (Texts and Studies in Eastern Christianity, 25), pp. 498-518.

- S. Lieu, Manichaean Art and Architecture Along the Silk Road, in K. Parry (ed.), Art, Architecture and Religion Along the Silk Roads, Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2009 (Silk Road Studies, 12), pp. 79-101.

- S.N.C. Lieu, «From Rome (Daqin 大秦) To China (Zhongguo 中國): The Xi’an 西安 (Nestorian) Monument as a bilingual and transcultural Document», in S.N.C. Lieu, G. Thompson (eds.), The Church of the East in Central Asia and China, Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2020 (China and the Mediterranean World, 1), pp. 121-142.

- M. Kordosis, «China and the West: The Silk Route», in Graeco-Arabica 7/8 (2000), pp. 233-242.

PLEASE NOTE that PDF of the above-listed readings will be available during the course, partly on the course webpage in the MATERIALE DIDATTICO section, partly on demand mailing to manuela.degiorgi@unisalento.it.

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II. Non-attending students:

Non-attending students, to successfully completed the course, MUST read all references of the Secondary bibliography.