Archaeology and Art History of Rome and the Roman Provinces

Teacher(s)

Cavalieri Marco; Limina Valentina (compensates Cavalieri Marco);

Language

French

Main themes

The course considers in-depth questions and specific problems of interpretation related to social and political reconstructions based on archaeological sources concerning the city of Rome, from its foundation to the High Middle Ages, on the one hand, and of Italy and the Roman provinces, especially the West, on the other. The questions addressed concern different fields, notably urbanism, architecture, building systems, etc., and tend towards the definition of an interpretative scheme of Roman ways of life over the centuries.

Content

The course considers in-depth questions and specific problems of interpretation related to social and political reconstructions based on archaeological sources concerning the city of Rome, from its foundation to the High Middle Ages, on the one hand, and of Italy and the Roman provinces, especially the West, on the other. The questions addressed concern different fields, notably urbanism, architecture, building systems, etc., and tend towards the definition of an interpretative scheme of Roman ways of life over the centuries.

Teaching methods

A combination’of ex-cathedra lectures by the lecturer or invited guests and seminars.
Sessions may be prepared by students based on the reading of one or more articles, the list of which will be published at the beginning of the year.
They are also invited to participate actively in certain sessions which may take the form of a seminar.

Evaluation methods

Written examination

Other information

In 2024-2025, the course will focus on the Roman landscape as a crucial context for the study of urbanism and art history. The Roman landscape, comprising cities, countryside, and human groups, will be a key focus of the course. We will delve into various urban planning issues, especially in relation to the organization and articulation of urban space in the Roman world, the role of public buildings and infrastructure, and the relationship between city and territory. As an archaeology and art history course, we will also explore architecture, the decoration and construction techniques of the various buildings and structures that make up the city, not to mention the imperial ideology, the dynamics of power, and this from the interpretation of works of art (sculpture, painting, and architecture). Rome and central Italy will be the starting point for a reflection that will extend to the whole of the Roman Empire.

Online resources

PowerPoints of the lectures and bibliography.

Bibliography

- Cavalieri M. 2020, Les villes « à la romaine », in Les mondes romains. Questions d’archéologie et histoire, sous la direction de R. Gonzáles Villaescusa, G. Traina, J.-P. Vallat, Paris, pp. 197-222.
- Adam J.P. 2008, La construction romaine : matériaux et techniques, Paris.
- Grimal P., Woloch G. 1983, Roman Cities, London.
- Gros P. 2006, L'architecture romaine. 1. Les monuments publics, Paris.
- Gros P., Torelli M.  2007, Storia dell’urbanistica. Il mondo romano, Roma.
- Lafon X., Marc J.Y., Sartre M. 2011, Histoire de l'Europe urbaine. 1. La ville antique, Paris.   
- Mattingly D.J., 2011 Imperialism, power and identity. Experiencing the Roman Empire, Princeton 2011.
- Zanker P. 1999, The power of images in the age of Augustus, Ann Arbor.
- Zanker P. 2013, La città romana, Roma.

Faculty or entity

> EHAC