Academic year: 2025-26
Course: Foundation Course Humanities – Greek and Roman Archaeology
Credits: 6
Period: Second semester
Number of hours: 48
Teacher: Stefano Genovesi (Stefano Genovesi fefo.genovesi@gmail.com)
Language of instruction: English
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
The course aims to provide students with the tools for a solid grounding in Greek and Roman Archaeology, introducing the most significant themes of the material culture of the Greek world and Rome, from the Iron Age (10th century BC) to Late Antiquity (5th century AD). These fundamentals will be examined within the framework of their historical, political and social contexts, encouraging a critical perspective on Classical Antiquity. Finally, particular attention will be paid to the deep interaction between the Greek and Roman worlds, highlighting common features and elements of diversity in the evolution of their respective artistic cultures.
Assessment criteria of knowledge
Competency in the subject matter addressed in the course is tested through a final oral exam.
Skills
By the end of the course, students will be able to distinguish the main expressions of Ancient Greek and Roman material cultures. They will also have learnt to recognise these expressions as the result of complex interactions between the historical processes and the political and socio-cultural factors peculiar to these two societies.
Assessment criteria of skills
The skills gained during the course will be assessed through open discussions during classes and a final oral exam.
Behaviors
Students will learn to adopt a critical thinking and an interdisciplinary historical perspective about the subjects of the course.
Prerequisites
No specific prerequisite is required.
Syllabus
This class aims to provide the basics of the archeology and art history of the Greek and Roman civilizations from the Geometric Period to Late Antiquity. The treatment of the subject will be organized as follows:
1. Course overview: objectives. Introduction to Greek and Roman art;
2. The Greek world and Rome from the Iron Age to the Archaic period (10th–6 th cent. BC);
3. The Greek world and Rome in the Classical period (5th–4th cent. BC);
4. The Greek world and Rome in the Hellenistic period (3rd–1st cent. BC);
5. The Greek world and Rome in the Imperial period:
5.1. The Augustan age;
5.2. The Julio-Claudian and Flavian periods;
5.3. The Imperial period. The Antonines and the Severans;
5.4. The Imperial Age. A universal language: the provinces;
5.5. The Imperial Age. From the crisis of the 3rd century to the 5th century AD;
6. The archaeologist’s job:
6.1. Archaeological research;
6.2. The case study of Roman Pisa;
Off-class lecture: the Museum of Ancient Ships in Pisa
Bibliography
The bibliography of the course consists of one textbooks (see below), which is mandatory. Suggested readings will be provided during the course for those who wish to deepen specific aspects.
1. Stansbury-O’Donnell, M.D., A History of Greek Art. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell, 2015. [ISBN: ISBN 978-1-4443-5015-9]. The volume is available at the Library of Classical Studies (Biblioteca di Antichistica).
2. Kleiner, F.S., A History of Roman Art. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. [ISBN: 978-0-495-90987-3]. The book will be provided by the professor.
3. 2025. Fabiani F., Genovesi S., Campus A., Caroti A., Between city and countryside: investigating the suburbium of Roman Pisa, in B.E. Borg, A. Campus, F. D’Andrea, D.P. Diffendale, C. Manetta, U. Soldovieri (Eds.), (Re-)Uniting City and Country. New Research on Urban and Suburban Socio-Topographical Strucutres, Rome, pp. 301-323. [ISBN: 9788891336354]. The text will be provided by the professor.
Assessment methods
The assessment methods are based on attendance and participation in class, during one off-site class at the Museum of the Ancient Ships of San Rossore (Pisa), as well as on the final oral exam. In particular, grades are defined in accordance with the following proportion:
Attendance and participation in class and off-site class: 30%
Final oral exam: 70%