Introductory description

The course is taught on site in Greece by the British School at Athens. The essay is supervised and marked at Warwick.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Students choose from a suite of options offered by the British School at Athens, as follows (for
further information see documents attached):

Epigraphy Course
The course is taught around the School’s own Museum collection, and will also utilise the
most significant epigraphic collections around Athens, in particular at the superb facilities of
the Epigraphic Museum, where students will each be assigned a stone from which to create a
textual edition by close reading of the letters and an understanding of the monument.
Lectures by a number of eminent guest speakers will show how epigraphic evidence can
illuminate a variety of historical and thematic subjects. The importance of understanding
inscriptions within their archaeological and topographical contexts will be explored during
site visits around Athens, Attica, and Delphi.

Numismatics Course
Coins are an essential source of primary evidence for all students of the ancient world -
historians, archaeologists, and literary scholars alike. This two-week training course provides
hands-on experience of working with coins, both for those new to the subject and for those
who wish to further their interest.
The course offers a chronological survey of Greek coinage, beginning in the late Archaic
period and continuing through the Classical into the Hellenistic period. The coinages of
Greek settlements in various parts of the eastern and western Mediterranean are studied.
There will also be sessions on the analytical techniques that assist the study of coins, such
as describing and cataloguing them, the importance of die studies and the information that
can be derived from them, hoards and site finds, weight standards and metrology,
metallurgical analysis, and databases.
Ceramic Petrology
This course is based around the Fitch Laboratory’s extensive reference collections of
geological and ceramic thin sections. It is an excellent introduction to ceramic petrology and
its applications.
The course comprises daily lectures and practical classes introducing to optical polarizing light microscopy, the identification of main rock-forming minerals, the classification of rock types, the use and interpretation of geological maps and, subsequently, the analysis of ceramic thin sections to reconstruct provenance and technology. Greek and Roman Pottery This intensive course gives participants a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience with one of the major pottery sequences in Greece, guided by leading specialists in the field. Based at the British School’s Study Centre at Knossos, it makes use of the rich holdings of the Stratigraphic Museum which include material from across the Mediterranean in all periods from the Early Bronze Age to Late Roman. Strewing and examining key pottery groups will allow participants to learn the key points of identification and major debates for each period. Essential skills, like drawing or macroscopic fabric analysis, are taught in supporting workshops, and a series of lectures will introduce themes, problems and methods in the study and publication of ceramics. The course also includes visits to local potters specializing in traditional techniques and the replication of ancient technologies.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• In-depth knowledge of the chosen field within ancient material culture; courses available cover numismatics, epigraphy, pottery and ceramic petrology.
• Mastery of the technical skills required to study and describe specialist areas of ancient material culture.

International

Courses taken at British School at Athens

Subject specific skills

Cognitive Skills

• Ability to present structured chain of argument drawing together evidence into cohesive whole
• Ability to select & apply appropriate problem-solving methodologies
• Ability to conduct independent research & analysis

Subject-Specific Skills: these will depend on the individual module taken, as follows:
Numismatics: the analytical techniques involved in the study of coins, describing and cataloging them, importance of die studies, weight standards and metrology, metallurgical analysis, and databases.
Epigraphy: understanding of the process of studying and producing editions of inscriptions
Pottery: Ability to identify different samples of Greek and Roman pottery, involving the essential skills of drawing and fabric analysis
Petrology: Ability to analyse the composition of ceramics, for use in the wider study of pottery provenance.

Subject knowledge and understanding

• Appreciation of methodological issues in studying the material culture of ancient Greece, with a particular focus on either coins, epigraphy, or pottery.
• Awareness of chronological change in the material culture of Ancient Greece.

Transferable skills

Key skills

• Written communication skills
• Oral communication skills
• Organisational skills
• Ability to evaluate intellectual progress
• IT skills - word processing/ use of internet