Ancient Cities: A MOOC in progress (11/12-2018) (original) (raw)
"World is experienced both through worldly and bodily expressions. Emotions are embodied, deeply rooted in the corporeal and sensual experience, and directly communicated through gestures and vocalisations. This session aims to reconstruct with a transdisciplinary approach the materiality of gestures in the Roman world. Thanks to the study of the archaeological record, it is possible to identify the "techniques of the body", through which emotions are perceived, enacted, shared and communicated. Objects are not merely neutral things, but a channel which allows us to detect the agency behind the gesture and (even through the repetition and intensification of an act, i.e. ritual) its use of media in order to interact with the socially structured environment and networks it belongs to. Speakers - chosen among the international specialists - are challenged to test this paradigm on the field of Pompeii, focusing on the material culture concerning sanctuaries, domestic religious practices and funerary rituals."
Keys to Rome. Roman Culture, Virtual Museums (Pescarin S. Ed. 2014)
Alfonsina Pagano, Sofia Pescarin, Leonardo Rescic, Wim Hupperetz, Paolo Vigliarolo, Niall O'hOisin, Daniele Ferdani, Bruno Fanini, B M, Muhammad Abd-el-Maguid, Daria Ruggeri, Enzo d'Annibale
On the 23 September 2014, after 2000 years from Augustus death, 13 countries have met in Rome, Amsterdam, Alexandria and Sarajevo, for the opening of an extraordinary exhibition, “Keys to Rome”: an interactive journey to discover Roman Culture, starting from the city of Augustus and reaching the entire Roman Empire, through the visit to 4 fascinating venues, 4 museums with their archaeological collections, more than 10 different technologies supporting and enhancing this global experience.This is more than an exhibition on Roman archaeology. "Keys To Rome" is a unique international exhibition, that, for the first time is organized in parallel in four locations:Rome, in the wonderful setting of the Imperial Fora Museum (Museo dei Fori Imperiali);Alexandria, in the Antiquities Museums of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; Amsterdam, in the recently renovated Allard Pierson Museum; and Sarajevo, in the newly restored City Hall (Vijecnica) and in the Sarajevo Museum.
Roman Urbanism. Syllabus 2008-9
The study of the Roman city has traditionally focussed on urban topography and the study of major public buildings. This course seeks to understand how and why cities develop and change, their physical and economic fabric, their historical and cultural context, and their place in Roman self-definition.
Pompeii and The Bay of Naples (CLA 222)
In 79 CE, a violent eruption of Mt. Vesuvius resulted in the extraordinary preservation of entire Roman towns and villas around the Bay of Naples in Italy. Buried beneath the volcanic residue, archaeologists have discovered resplendent frescoes, impressive mosaics, furniture, medical tools, crass graffiti and everything from a loaf of bread to a personal library filled with the books of a previously unknown philosopher. This class will focus on the small provincial town of Pompeii, which has been considered one of the most famous archaeology sites in the world since its discovery in the 18th c. Pompeii’s public and private architecture, art and material culture provide us with important insight into the social, political, commercial and religious life under the Roman empire. Be forewarned: this course is reading and writing heavy and there is a public speaking component! You will be asked to analyze and interpret both material remains and primary and secondary sources.
Regional Interaction (in Roman Italy)
A Companion to Roman Italy, (ed.) A. Cooley, Wiley-Blackwell, 2016
Regional interaction and local travel in Roman Italy, with a special focus on advertisements for gladiatorial games (edicta munerum) and the regional market cycle (indices nundinarii).
Excavating Identity: The Archaeology of Being Roman, Syllabus 2013-14
This module addresses key issues in the study of Roman archaeology. What did it mean to live under the Roman empire? How did the disparate peoples within the Roman world negotiate their place in relation to the regime? This module will introduce students to the critical evaluation of the archaeological evidence for identities and communities in the Roman period, and the approaches and theories that have been used to understand them. Through different classes of archaeological evidence (e.g. what people wore, what they ate, or how they treated the remains of their dead), we will examine how archaeology can be used to build a picture of personal and community identities. We will examine communities within the Roman empire, and those beyond its frontiers. We will consider questions of cultural interaction and Roman imperialism. We will focus on archaeological evidence, but will also consider the role of textual sources for the Roman period. Topics will include archaeologies of gender, childhood, and slavery.