Archaeology and Art History of Rome and the Roman Provinces

Teacher(s)

Cavalieri Marco; Tomassini Paolo;

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 content of the course varies according to the theme selected for each academic year. It combines a general approach to the main archaeological, architectural and urbanistic issues of the Roman world with an in-depth examination of a specific case study, allowing for a more focused exploration of a particular question related to the annual theme. Depending on the topics addressed, archaeological evidence is considered alongside other available categories of sources, particularly literary and epigraphic evidence.

Teaching methods

The course is organised into two complementary components: a lecture course (2 hours/week), taught by P. Tomassini and potentially including contributions from invited speakers, and an in-depth seminar (1 hour/week), taught by M. Cavalieri and devoted to a specific case study related to the annual theme. Some sessions may be accompanied by preparatory readings, a list of which will be provided at the beginning of the academic year.

Evaluation methods

Written examination

Other information

In 2026–2027, the course will focus on the Roman city. The lecture component will address the main questions relating to the organisation and articulation of urban space, with particular attention to the architecture, decoration and construction techniques of its various components. Rome and central Italy will provide the starting point for an analysis that will progressively extend to the Roman world as a whole, particularly the western provinces of the Empire.
The seminar will provide a focused examination of the chalcidicum, drawing on recently published research that offers a renewed interpretation of this architectural space, which could also constitute a multifunctional building and was often associated with a political programme linked to devotion to the rulers. By combining literary and epigraphic sources with archaeological evidence, the seminar will examine its definition, its various configurations and functions, and its integration into the urban contexts in which it is attested. Through a series of case studies ranging from Italy to the provinces, the seminar will thus offer an in-depth exploration of a specific issue concerning Roman architecture and urban space.

Online resources

PowerPoints of the lectures and bibliography.

Bibliography

Adam J.P. 2008, La construction romaine : matériaux et techniques, Paris.
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.
DeLaine J. 2024, Roman Architecture, Oxford (Oxford History of Art).
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.
Yegül F., Favro D. 2019, Roman Architecture and Urbanism: From the Origins to Late Antiquity, Cambridge.
Zanker P. 2013, La citta romana, Roma
Zanker P. 2014, Die römische Stadt: eine kurze Geschichte, München.

Faculty or entity

> EHAC