CLA1354 - Ancient Sources (Material Evidence): Brave New Rome of Augustus
2016/7 Module description
| Staff | Professor Elena Isayev - Convenor |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 15 |
| ECTS Value | 7.50 |
| NQF Level | 6 |
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; |
Module description
The Augustan Age: seen as one of the turning points in the history of Rome, Italy and the Ancient Mediterranean. How did Augustus manage to embody both tradition and innovation, continuity and novelty. Were the great building programs that transformed Rome into an Imperial capital, celebrated, or were the Romans concerned that this was a demonstration of personal power. The module considers key issues of the Augustan Age, uses and definition of propaganda, and the ancient viewer. What models are drawn on to create the new capital city worthy of empire? How is the art and architecture used to rewrite history and bring in new ideals where gods mingle with mortals and myth becomes reality? Can we begin to understand the effect of the new structures on the Roman population? How did the building programme refocus the centres of activity and redirect the movement and gaze of the city? In what sense is the building programme innovative and to what extent is it simply mirroring trends of other great cities with similar types of rule? Is it a monument to immortality?
Module aims
This module provides an introduction into how to use and analyse visual and material evidence as a historical source, it also draws on key texts, including poetry and the Res Gestae. Students will engage in in-depth thinking into the underlying aims of and influences on the building programme, the monuments and art of Augustan Rome.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Through an analysis of visual and material evidence, on completion of this module students will be able to describe and evaluate the changes which Augustus brought about in the city of Rome and the desired as well as actual impact of the transformation
- 2. They will also have assimilated an understanding of how to use the physical and artistic environment and particularly public monuments in enriching the history of the period
- 3. They will be able to examine more complex themes connected to imperialism, imagery as a political tool and theoretical models which help in accessing the experience of the ancient viewer
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 4. Students will be able to use, analyse and evaluate visual and material evidence as a major source for understanding the ancient world
- 5. They will also develop advanced academic and library skills as well as a critical ability in assessing published literature with issues of the history of the city of Rome and the Augustan Age as well as more general approaches to the uses of art and architecture by those in power, and ideas about visualising and mythologising history
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 6. Students will demonstrate independent and group study skills in research and presentation of findings
- 7. An ability to select and organise relevant material and to present a strong argument in oral and written form, and to discuss issues in a peer group
Syllabus plan
Will include some of the following elements:
Introduction and historical background
Achieving immortality: monument & text
What's in a face: the image of youth
Campus Martius: Augustan Theme Park
The Ara Pacis and the new Classicism?
Palatine: inviting gods into the home
New districts of Rome & Imperial cult
Rewriting history: Augustan Forum
The New Women: Cleopatra & Livia
Augustus as seen from Abroad
Mussolini: the legacy of empire
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 18.5 | 131.5 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching activities | 11 | Lectures (11 x 1 hour) |
| Scheduled learning and teaching activities | 7.5 | Seminars (5 x 1.5 hours) |
| Guided independent study | 131.5 | Independent study |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | 5-10 minutes | 1-7 | Verbal feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 70 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 30 | 2000 words | 1-7 | Mark and written comments |
| Exam | 70 | 2 hours | 1-7 | Mark and written comments |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 1-7 | August refer/defer period |
| Exam | Exam | 1-7 | August refer/defer period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Key text
Res gestae divi Augusti. English and Latin: text translation and commentary. Alison E. Cooley. Cambridge, UK ; New York : CUP, 2009.
Reading list
To be confirmed.
1. Core set text:
G.K. Galinsky, Augustan culture : an interpretive introduction (Princeton, N.J 1996). T. Habinek, A. Schiesaro (eds.), The Roman Cultural Revolution (CUP 1997). K.A. Raaflaub, M. Toher (eds.), Between Republic and Empire: Interpretations of Augustus and his Principate (Berkeley 1990) P. Zanker, The Power and Images in the Age of Augustus (1988).
2. Other recommended reading:
M. Beard, J. Henderson, Classical Art from Greece to Rome (2001). Clarke, John R., Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans. Visual Representation and Non-Elite Viewers in Italy, 100 B.C. - A.D. 315 (Berkeley 2003). M. Biddiss, M. Wyke (eds.), The uses and abuses of Antiquity (1999) J. Elsner, Art and the Roman Viewer (Cambridge 1995) J. Elsner, Art and Text in Roman Culture (Cambridge 1996). D. Kleiner, Roman Sculpture (Yale UP 1992), J. Lott, The Neighborhoods of Augustan Rome (CUP 2004). A. Powell, Roman Poetry and Propaganda in the Age of Augustus (1992).
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Available as distance learning?
No
Last revision date
29/02/2016
Key words search
Classics sources Augustus Rome architecture Art Urbanism
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