Introductory description

This module proposes to explore one Classical antiquity’s most famous cities, Athens. As the archetype of the democratic state and the polis (city-state) model, it is one of the most studied ancient cities with iconic monuments including the Parthenon, Propylaia, and Hephaisteion. By placing Athenian art and architecture within its ancient settings, productive dialogues will emerge concerning the making and meaning of public monuments in the past and present. Students will gain hands on experience with ancient art by researching objects in the Antiquities Room.

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.

Term 1: Archaeology of Athens
Week 1 – Topography and early Athens
Week 2 – The Peisistratids and their building programme
Seminar 1 – Attic pottery
Week 3 – Korai and thesauroi: The archaic acropolis
Week 4 – The Periclean building programme
Week 5 – The Athenian agora and the monuments of democracy
Seminar 2 – Museum displays and communicating to a public audience
Week 6 – Reading week
Week 7 – The Piraeus
Week 8 – Theatre and tripods: Lykourgan Athens
Week 9 – Attalids benefactions and portrait statues
Week 10 – Pausanias in Athens: Remembering and forgetting

Learning outcomes

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

• A familiarity with major building programmes and their historical contexts.
• A deeper understanding of the topography of Athens and its major monuments.
• An appreciation for the unique and innovative elements of Athenian material culture.
• A deeper ability to critically assess primary sources and their biases.
• The ability to set their interpretations into a wider comparative context, drawing in other aspects of the study of the ancient world.
• The ability to effectively communicate the results of research with public audiences.

Indicative reading list

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Research element

• Students will have the opportunity to research one of the Attic vases in the Antiquities collection and write a museum display label (250 words) for it identifying its technique, shape, date, and iconography or decoration.

Interdisciplinary

Techniques of connoisseurship drawn from Art History.

Subject specific skills

Ability to identify and date Greek material culture; Ability to identify and integrate literary and archaeological data; Awareness of cultural patrimony debates and archaeological ethics.

Transferable skills

Critical thinking; Ability to conduct research; Ability to summarize information effectively; Ability to tailor writing to different audiences; Connoisseurship; Museological skills.