CLAR 211: Greek Archaeology
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Ruth Palmer
Course Schedule:
This course introduces the student to Greek culture via the archaeological sites and artifacts, starting with the Minoans and the Mycenaeans ca. 1800 BCE and ending with the Hellenistic period and the rise of Roman power in the first century BCE. Topics include the initial development of civilization in Greece and its rebirth after the fall of the Mycenaean palaces, the development of architectural styles, civic monuments and private houses; public vs. private art, and the role of public art in propaganda. We will emphasize the use of archaeology to interpret the social development of the Greeks.
CLAR 212: Roman Archaeology
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Tom Carpenter, Lynne Lancaster
Course Schedule: Fall 2008
This course is a study of material remains from the Roman world and of the information they provide about Roman society. Among other things, we will examine sculpture, painting, coinage, and architecture to learn how Romans at various levels of society used objects, images, and built-structures to make statements about themselves. We will also examine how these messages differed from one part of the empire to another. A major goal is to learn how to look at and “read” objects and images. Special emphasis is placed on methodologies used to interpret them.
CLAR 213: Near Eastern and Egyptian Archaeology
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Ruth Palmer
Course Schedule: Fall 2008
This course explores the development of the complex civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt, from 4000 to ca. 800 BC. We will look at the evidence for state formation in the city-states of Mesopotamia and the kingdom of Egypt and how these societies can be reconstructed, from a wide variety of documents and artifacts, including Mesopotamian law cases, and Egyptian tombs. Topics include the role of religion, the concept of divine kingship, and the development of writing.
CLAR 352x: Ancient Rome: Development of the City
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Tom Carpenter, Lynne Lancaster
Course Schedule: Fall 2008
An introduction to the urban development of ancient Rome through an intensive on-site examination of its monuments and artifacts. The focus is on field work. While Rome is the focus of the course, several days are also spent at Pompeii and Ostia to highlight aspects of Roman life not readily observable in modern Rome.
CLAR 353x: The Reuse of Antiquity in Rome
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Tom Carpenter, Lynne Lancaster
Course Schedule:
The course focuses on two main aspects of the reuse of antiquity. The first is the reuse of spolia, or fragments of Roman buildings, statuary and inscriptions to create new monuments. We will examine why this was done and explore the possible messages that the fragments held for the viewer. The second aspect of the course will focus on the way the idea of “empire” was used by popes and dictators as a means of propaganda, particularly in the area of urban design. The primary focus will be on the development of the city under Sixtus V (1585-1590), Napoleon (1809-1814), and Mussolini (1922-1945).
Prerequisite: Sophomore or above; CLAR 352x concurrently. (Part of Ohio University Study Abroad Rome Program)
CLAR 361: Greek Cities and Sanctuaries
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Ruth Palmer
Course Schedule:
This course introduces the student to Greek culture via the archaeological sites and artifacts, starting with the Minoans and the Mycenaeans ca. 1800 BCE and ending with the Hellenistic period and the rise of Roman power in the first century BCE. Topics include the initial development of civilization in Greece and its rebirth after the fall of the Mycenaean palaces, the development of architectural styles, civic monuments and private houses; public vs. private art, and the role of public art in propaganda. We will emphasize the use of archaeology to interpret the social development of the Greeks.
CLAR 362: The Archaeology of Roman Cities
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Lynne Lancaster
Course Schedule:
In this course we will examine the archaeological remains from ancient Roman sites to understand better the way the Romans created their urban environment and lived in it. The three primary cities studied are Rome, Ostia and Pompeii. Rome was the capital of the Empire and the model on which many cities were based, but due to subsequent urban development much of the evidence there has been destroyed or buried. Ostia, the port city of Rome, is better preserved and provides a reflection of what ancient Rome must have been like during the Imperial period. Pompeii, on the other hand, was a provincial city, but it is one of the richest sources of archaeological evidence for ancient city life due to its destruction (and paradoxically its preservation) by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.
CLAR 363: Aegean Archaeology
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Ruth Palmer
Course Schedule:
This course traces the development of the three main Aegean cultures: Minoan, Mycenaean and Cycladic, from the first farmers in the Neolithic period, to the fall of the Mycenaean palaces at the end of the Bronze Age, ca. 1100 BCE. We will focus on the archaeological evidence for cultural interactions leading to the development and disintegration of the great states in the Aegean. Topics covered: the beginning of agriculture in Greece, the origin of the Minoan palaces, the eruption of Thera, the rise of Mycenaean power, causes for decline at the end of the Bronze Age. This course continues many of the topics introduced in CLAR 211, Greek Archaeology, and CLAR 213, Near Eastern and Egyptian Archaeology.
CLAR 364: Craft and Technology in the Roman World
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Lynne Lancaster
Course Schedule:
The purpose of this course is to demonstrate the interdependence of craft and technology in the ancient Roman world. We will examine the materials, tools, and methods used to create objects such as marble sculpture, bronze statuary, gold and silver table ware, terracotta table ware, glass vessels, and plaster wall painting. We will learn to analyze artifacts for evidence of how they were made, and we will examine some of the problems the ancient craftsman encountered and the ways in which they were solved (or not). A hands-on approach will be used, and field trips to local production sites around southeastern Ohio will be incorporated. A larger goal of the course is to impart a better understanding of how economics affected the way the objects were made and distributed and how this affected the attitudes and desires of the Roman people in different parts of the Roman Empire.
CLAR 451: Mycenaean Society
4 credit hours
Instructor(s): Ruth Palmer
Course Schedule:
The Mycenaean kingdoms used the Linear B script to keep track of human and natural resources. These economic records combined with archaeological evidence for food production and crafts provide the basis of our reconstruction of Mycenaean society. We begin by learning how to analyze the Linear B tablets. Topics include methods of bookkeeping, the social structure within and outside the palaces, agriculture, textile manufacture, trade, military organization, and religion.