Course Title: 01:082:317 Ancient Painting
Academic Credits: 3 credits
Mode of Instruction: Lecture
Course Prerequisites: None
Core Curriculum: None
Course Description:
Development of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman painting from the eighth century BC through the Roman Empire.
This interdisciplinary course is a holistic survey of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman painting from the eighth century BC through the (so-called) fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. The foci of the course will be the development of style in the different areas of the Mediterranean and the cultural significance of painted images in different social contexts..This interdisciplinary course is a holistic survey of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman painting from the eighth century BC through the (so-called) fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. The foci of the course will be the development of style in the different areas of the Mediterranean and the cultural significance of painted images in different social contexts. Painted items and artifacts (pottery, panels, frescoes, etc.) were created for a purpose; our guiding questions will focus on who created them, for what purpose, what informed their choices, and what impact did this material have on those who viewed them. To answer these questions we will also engage with the people who created these materials, and thus we will also study the histories, religious beliefs, and daily lives of the Greeks and the Romans to contextualize the painted materials that created and defined their worlds.
Learning Goals:
- To demonstrate a broad knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean world;
- To demonstrate a broad knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean world;
- To describe the development of Ancient Mediterranean painting and to place major events and artistic personalities within it;
- To distinguish different methodological approaches to the study of ancient painting and to acknowledge strengths and weaknesses in each;
- To understand how meaning was conveyed visually and how it changed when images were transmitted from one culture to another;
- To produce culturally and historically informed analyses of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts;
- To discuss various aspects of daily life in Greece and Rome (e.g., trade, religion, literacy, and entertainment);
- To read critically; construct an original thesis statement and support it with logical evidence
Required and Recommended Course Materials:
Rasmussen, T., and N. Spivey 1999. Looking at Greek Vases. Cambridge: Cambridge University PressRasmussen, T., and N. Spivey 1999. Looking at Greek Vases. Cambridge: Cambridge University Presso
Steiner, A. 2008. Reading Greek Vases. Cambridge: Cambridge University Presso Ling, R. 1991. Roman Painting. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
To supplement your textbooks, additional excellent books are available on reserve to provide any background on a subject/place/time/etc about which you may feel uncertain.
- Pollitt, J. J. 2014. The Cambridge History of Painting in the Classical World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Presso Pomeroy, Sarah B. et. al. Ancient Greece: A political, social, and cultural history. Oxford; Oxford University Press, 2004.
- Boatwright, Mary Taliaferro et. al. A Brief History of the Romans. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Additional reading assignments are available on the course website through the Sakai homepage.
Exams:
Assessment on the content of the courses will also be done through two exams during term time and a final exam. They will be a combination of identifications and essays. Details for these major assessments (worth cumulatively 65% of the final course grade) will be provided in class. If you have any conflict, please let me know as soon as possible.
Assignments:
Students are required to prepare material carefully for class and to engage actively with work in the classroom. Various activities, such as in-class writing, groupwork, and announced and unannounced quizzes, as well as participation contribute to this 15% of the final course grade.
Each student will write a 6-8 pages paper on how the study of ancient painting informs our knowledge of one aspect of the ancient world (e.g., daily life, religion, trade, literacy); detailed guidelines will be distributed and discussed in class). This paper will be due in the last week of class, and it will be worth 20% of the final course grade.
Attendance:
All students are expected to attend all classes. You may find the University policy on absences and missed work, as well as a link to the self-reporting system, here: https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/
Grading:
Grades for this class are based on a combination of group projects, tests, and other written work designed to assess your ability to discuss Ancient painting and its function and meaning in Greek and Roman society. Your final grade will be based on the following assessment:
- Assignments and Participation15%
- Tests (2) 30%
- Paper 20%
- Final Exam 35%
Instructor:
Bice Peruzzi
Disclaimer: These course descriptions/synopses pages have been provided as samples and the information should not be considered accurate or current. For actual course information, refer to the course site hosted by a Rutgers Learning Management System (Sakai, Canvas, etc.) as of first day of class.
