Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology (ARC 312)
Greek and Roman Archaeology or Classical Archaeology is usually considered to be a separate academic discipline, different from Prehistoric or Near Eastern Archaeology. This separation is a result of the history of the archaeological sciences and the available sources. The existence of written sources for ancient Greek and Roman times, as well as the multitude of preserved monuments of this relatively recent period lead to a concentration on works of art as the primary objects of interest. So Classical Archaeology is most closely connected to Art History, while other archaeological sub-disciplines are much more related to natural sciences (in Europe) or Cultural Anthropology (in America). The course will explore these differences and their reasons and give a survey of the methods and approaches that are used by Classical Archaeologists. The most important categories of finds: pottery, sculpture and architecture, will be treated separately, from the beginnings of Classical Culture in the so called 'Dark Ages until its end after the fall of the Roman Empire. This will provide students with a basic knowledge of the most important monuments and will enable them to recognize and evaluate the styles of different periods and regions.