ANCIENT ART: Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology

(ARHS 4833)

Spring 2016 TTH 3:30-4:45 PM FNAR 213

Dr. Rhodora G. Vennarucci Email: rhodorav@uark.edu Tel. (479) 5757-6060

Office: 607 KIMP Office Hours: WF 3-4 pm or by appointment

REQUIRED TEXTS

1. Neer, R. 2012. Greek Art and Archaeology: A New History, c. 2500-150 BCE. Thames & Hudson.
ISBN: 978-0500288771.

2. Ramage, N. H. and A. Ramage. 2014/2015. Roman Art: Romulus to Constantine. (6th edition).
Pearson. ISBN: 978-0205988952.

***Additional readings will be made available through course reserve or electronic reserves at Mullins
Library, via PDF copy uploaded to Blackboard, or through an online database.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

“Art is the signature of civilizations.” –Beverley Sills

The material culture – art, architecture, and artifacts – left behind by a civilization can be “read” like a text of
the past, since physical objects produced, used, reused, and discarded by human hands were active elements
in human interactions. This course introduces students to the material and visual culture of the ancient
Mediterranean from the Bronze Age through the Late Antique period. In addition to the great public
architectural monuments, temples, and famous works of art, we will also explore the archaeological remains
and visual images of everyday commercial and domestic space. We will focus our discussions on how visual
and material culture both shaped and were shaped by different aspects of society in antiquity, such as
religion, politics, economy, views on gender and sexuality, social status, and ethnicity. To this end, you will
practice stylistic analysis, technical analysis, and interpretation of an array of ancient works within the socio-
historical context they were produced. Throughout this process, you will engage with various critical
approaches to the interpretation of ancient art, such as reception, kopienkritik, arte plebea, and gender
studies.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. Survey: Students will analyze works of art and architecture from diverse genres and from a
range of historical periods and geographical locations in Ancient Mediterranean between the
Bronze Age and Late Antique periods, identifying similarities, differences, and interrelations
between periods and cultures.

2. Social Theory: Students will analyze the impact of social, economic, and political factors on
the development, production, and reception of ancient art and architecture, interpreting art
within its socio-historical context.

3. Stylistic Analysis: Using the appropriate vocabulary in writing and speaking, students will
identify formal properties of a work of art and their relation to characteristics of a particular
period style.

4. Technical Analysis: Using the appropriate vocabulary in writing and speaking, students will
identity the materials and techniques used to produce a work of art.

5. Students will discuss important critical approaches to the interpretation of ancient art.

6. Upper-Level Writing Requirement: Students will demonstrate competency in research and

writing by composing a 10-page (Honors: 12 pp; Graduate Student: 15 pp) research paper.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
GRADING SCALE:
Participation and Attendance 20%
Artifact Life Cycle Project: 20% A (100-90)
B (89-80)
Exam 1: 20% C (79-70)
Exam 2: 20% D (69-60)
Research Paper: 20% F (59 and below)
Total: 100%

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EXPECTATIONS, PARTICIPATION, and ATTENDANCE (20%)

Simply put, participation and attendance are expected. This is a fast-paced course, covering two major
civilizations and ca. 2,500 years of art history in one short semester!!! This means that each and every class
introduces new and important information. If you are not in class, your grade will suffer, your skill
acquisition will suffer, and you will fail this course. If it becomes necessary for you to miss class for any
reason (illness, family emergency, gin flu, apathy, flat tire, etc.), DO NOT email to ask me what you missed
or if you missed anything important! It is your responsibility to catch up on any missed material by
borrowing notes from classmates and coming to speak with me during office hours. BE POLITE: if you
know that you will miss class, please send me a short e-mail to inform me within 24 hours. If you miss 4
classes in a row without contacting me, I will report you to the Dean of Students out of concern for your
wellbeing.
When!a!student!asks,!
“So,!did!I!miss!
anything!important!
last!class?”!

LEARNING IS AN ACTIVE AND COLLABORATIVE PROCESS. In other words, I do not assign you a grade, YOU
EARN YOUR GRADE. You will have the opportunity to earn 3 participation points for each class in which
you are both physically and mentally present and demonstrate thorough preparedness. If you are absent, you
will receive an automatic 0 for that day. Everyone has off days; and so, I will magnanimously drop your
lowest 3 participation scores at the end of the semester.
Pts. PARTICIPATION ASSESSMENT TABLE
3 Both physically and mentally present in class; readings and assignments are thoroughly and
thoughtfully prepared before coming to class; ready when called on to answer questions; actively
engages with me and your peers in discussions; respectful of others and exhibits positive attitude
2 May be physically and mentally present, but demonstrates a lack of preparedness when called upon:
e.g. did not complete or thoughtfully prepare the readings; lack of engagement in discussions
1 Physically present, but mentally checked out; readings and/or assignments are not prepared; unable to
answer questions when called upon; complete lack of engagement in discussions, staring off into
space, sleeping, using a cell phone or laptop/tablet for non-class related activities, holding side-
conversations, etc.; tardy to class; exhibits bad attitude and/or disrespect for others
0 Excused/Unexcused Absence

READINGS AND DISCUSSIONS: THIS IS A READING INTENSIVE COURSE! Expect between 40-60
pages of reading per class. If you have not completed the readings prior to class, you will not be able to
participate in our discussions, which will negatively impact your participation grade. As a final note, be
respectful of other people’s opinions in discussion: snarkiness and excessive eye rolling will not be tolerated.

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ARTIFACT LIFE-CYCLE PROJECT (20%)

I find that learning is more rewarding when I acquire a practical skill through the process. With this in mind I
have designed a project in collaboration with the University Collections Facility. You will be asked to visit
the Museum Collections and pick an artifact from their Greek and Roman collection. Using stylistic,
technical, and socio-historical analysis, you will be asked to recreate the life cycle of your object from its
production through to its deposition into the archaeological record, paying particular attention to questions of
patron, viewer, function, and cultural significance. This will require you to do some research into your
artifact-type in order to create a narrative for your object that is grounded in historical fact. You will type-up
your analysis (c. 5 pages) to hand into me with a bibliography, including at least 6 sources beyond the course
texts and no more than 2 web-based sources (Honors: 8 sources; Graduate Student: 10 sources).

In addition, you will prepare a short PowerPoint presentation – 5 Slides in 5 minutes – on your artifact to
share with the class. You will have the opportunity to select a date for your presentation on Tuesday 1/25 via
a lottery system. If you are not in class, your date will be assigned to you. More specific details regarding the
Artifact Life Cycle Project will follow in the second week of the semester.

EXAMS (40%)

There will be 2 exams worth 20% each, one in-class exam near the middle of the semester and one during
our scheduled final exam period (see Course Schedule below). Exam material will be drawn from the
assigned readings, lectures, discussions, and student reports. In short, any material assigned or discussed in
class is fair game. While the exams are non-cumulative with the first exam focusing on the material in the
first half of the semester and the second focusing on material from the second half of the semester, you may
be asked to draw cross-cultural comparisons and/or compare styles from different periods. I will provide
more details about exam format closer to Exam 1, but expect exams to include slide identifications, term ids,
and short answers.

RESEARCH PAPER (20%)

CHOOSING A TOPIC— I will post a list of possible research paper topics to Blackboard; however, you are
encouraged to develop your own topic to better reflect your personal interests. You will have a chance to sign
up for a topic in class on Tuesday 2/16. If you are not in class, your topic will be assigned to you.

PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ABSTRACT— So that you are not tempted to wait until the last minute to
start your research, on Thursday 3/17, you will hand-in a typed, properly formatted preliminary bibliography
that contains a minimum of 4 sources (not including the textbooks) with no more than 1 web-based source
(Wikipedia is NOT a scholarly source!!). Your abstract should include a clear thesis, which articulates the
problem that you are working on in the paper and/or the question you want to answer with your research. In
addition your abstract should introduce the reader to your unique argument or original approach/angle to the
material and what evidence you will use to investigate your research question.

PAPER—Your paper should be 10 pages typed (Honors: 12 pp; Graduate Student: 15 pp), 12-pt font, double-
spaced with uniform in-text citations (MLA, APA, or Chicago Style). Papers must have a title page
containing the paper’s title and student’s name and a properly formatted works cited page, including at least
10 scholarly sources (Honors: 12; Graduate Students: 15) with no more than 2 web-based sources (not
included in 10 pages of text). Clarity of argument, sophistication of analysis, structure, and grammatical and
syntactical issues will all be factored into the final grade of the paper along with the quality of research.
Proofreading errors will be detrimental to the grade. The paper will be due Thursday 4/28. Further details on
the preliminary bibliography and thesis and paper guidelines will be handed out as the semester progresses.

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MAKE-UP POLICY AND LATE WORK:

In order to have the opportunity to hand-in a late assignment, make-up a missed exam, or reschedule your
presentation, you must: 1. Have an EXCUSED absence or university approved reason (e.g. documented
illness, family emergency, excused sport) and 2. Contact me within 24 hours of that absence to request a
make-up or permission to hand-in a late assignment. Do not show up to class on Tuesday to tell me that you
missed an assignment due last Thursday. If you think that you may need to miss class or turn in something
late, the sooner you contact me to discuss the situation, the more likely I will be to accommodate you.

EXTRA CREDIT:

Extra credit will be available on the exams.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

DO NOT CHEAT OR PLAGIARIZE! I have a ZERO-TOLERANCE policy for academic dishonesty. If you are
caught violating University of Arkansas’ Academic Honesty Policy
(http://provost.uark.edu/academicintegrity/245.php), I am obligated to report you to the Academic
Integrity Monitor. If you are required to appear before the All-University Academic Integrity Board
(AUAIB), you could risk academic probation or worse, loss of scholarships and expulsion. BE HONEST—
do your own work!

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

This is an equal opportunity learning environment. If you have a disability or condition that requires special
compensation, please speak with me the first week of class and provide proper documentation so that I can
accommodate you. Visit Center for Educational Access website (http://cea.uark.edu/) for additional
information on classroom accommodations for persons with disabilities.

(Minoan Frescoes, Knossos, Crete)

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 COURSE SCHEDULE

DATE LECTURE READINGS ASSIGNMENT

Week 1: Introduction
Tues. INTRODUCTION TO Buy Text Books
1/19 COURSE: WHAT IS
MATERIAL CULTURE?
Thurs. BRIEF SURVEY OF Neer: Introduction (pp. 9-17);
1/21 CRITICAL APPROACHES TO Kunze (2015)
ANCIENT ART
Week 2

Tues. MINOANS AND Neer: Chp.s 1 and 2; Chapin

1/25 MYCENEANS (2004); Pullen (2013)

Optional: Burns (2007)

Thurs. GEOMETRIC GREECE: THE Neer: Chp. 3; Lemos (2001); Sign-up for Artifact
1/27 NOT-SO DARK AGE Snodgrass (1998) Presentations In Class

Week 3

Tues. ORIENTALIZING GREECE: Neer: Chp. 4; Sparks (2000)

2/2 MORE WILD GOATS
PLEASE!
Thurs. ARCHAIC GREECE: Neer: Chp.s 5 and 6; Wilson-Jones
2/4 TEMPLES AND SCULPTURE (2014);

Optional: Marconi (2004)

Week 4

Tues. ARCHAIC GREECE: Neer: Chp. 8; Oakley (2009);

2/9 BLACK-FIGURE POTTERY

Thurs. CLASSICAL GREECE: Neer: Chp.s 9 and 10; Cahill (2000)

2/11 TOWN PLANNING AND
SCULPTURE Optional: Boyd (1981)
Week 5

Tues. CLASSICAL GREECE: WHO’S Neer: Chp. 11; Neils (2001); Pick Research Topics Today
2/16 WHO ON THE ATHENIAN Kimmelman (2010) In Class
PARTHENON
Thurs. CLASSICAL GREECE: Neer: Chp. 12; Morris (1987)
2/18 DEMOCRACY, PUBLIC Patterson (2006); Osborne (2007)
ARCHITECTURE, AND
FUNERARY ART

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 Week 6

Tues. CLASSICAL GREECE: Neer: Chp. 13; Nevett (1995) and

2/23 DOMESTIC ART AND Nevett (2007)
ARCHITECTURE
Optional: Ault (2007)
Thurs. HELLENISTIC GREECE Neer: Chp. 14; Pollit (1986)
2/25

Week 7
Tues. THE MYSTERIOUS Ramage: Intro (pp. 13-33) and Chp.
3/1 ETRUSCANS 1; Excerpts from Hayes (2000)

Thurs.
3/3 EXAM 1

Week 8
Tues. ARCHAIC ROME: BETWEEN Slayman (2007); Ammerman Artifact Presentations Begin
3/8 MYTH AND MATERIAL (2013); Hopkins (2007)
CULTURE
Thurs. REPUBLICAN ROME: Ramage: Chp. 2; Stamper (2005a)
3/10 PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
AND SCULPTURE
Week 9

Tues. ROMAN DOMESTIC ART Wallace-Hadrill (1994); Strocka

3/15 AND ARCHITECTURE (2007); Allison (2006)

Optional: Wallace-Hadrill (2007)

Thurs. Preliminary Bibliography
3/17 NO CLASS – DORA IS IN WILLIAMSBURG!!! and Abstract Due by 5 PM
Today
Week 10

Tues.
3/22
SPRING BREAK!!!
Thurs.
3/24

Week 11

Tues. CONFLICT AND CHAOS IN Dyson (2010); DeRose Evans

3/29 LATE REPUBLICAN ROME (2013)
Thurs. THE URBAN IMAGE OF Ramage: Chp. 3; Favro (2005);
3/31 AUGUSTAN ROME Zanker (1990)

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 Week 12

Tues. 4/5 JULIO-CLAUDIAN ROME Ramage: Chp. 4; Elsner (1994)

Thurs. FLAVIAN ROME: ENTERAIN Ramage: Chp. 5; Gunderson (2003)

4/7 US!

Week 13:

Tues. THE STREETS OF POMPEII: Ling (2007); Ling (1990); Excerpts

4/12 PRIVATE ART AND from Clarke (2003)
ARCHITECTURE

Thurs. LOVE AND DEATH IN Cormak (2007); McGinn 2004

4/14 POMPEII: EROTIC ART AND
FUNERARY ARCHITECTURE

Week 14:

Tues. TRAJAN: THE GOLDEN AGE Ramage: Chp. 6; Packer (2001)

4/19

Thurs. HADRIAN AND HIS DOMES Ramage: Chp. 7; McDonald

4/21 (1995); Stamper (2005b)

Week 15:

Tues. OSTIA: TRADE AND Parkins (1998); DeLaine (2005);

4/26 COMMERCE Vennarucci (2015)
Thurs. ANTONINES AND Ramage: Chp.s 8 and 9; TBA
4/28 SEVERANS

Week 16:

Tues. EMPIRE IN CRISIS: THE 3RD Ramage: Chp.s 10 and 11; TBA
5/3 CENTURY
Thurs. CONSTANTINE Ramage: Chp. 12; Krautheimer Research Papers Due!
5/5 (1983); Excerpts from Elsner
(1998)
WEEK 17: Exam Week
DATE EXAM 2
TBA TIME TBA
PLACE TBA

NB: Syllabus subject to change at instructor’s discretion

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Allison, P. 2006. “Artefact function and the distribution of activities.” in The Insula of The Menander at Pompeii
vol. 3: The Finds, A Contextual Study. Oxford University Press: 378-98. (PDF)

Ammerman, A.2013. “Looking at Early Rome with Fresh Eyes: Transforming the Landscape.” In A Companion to
Archaeology of The Roman Republic. Wiley: 169-80. (PDF)

Ault, B. 2007. “Oikos and Oikonomia: Greek houses, households and the domestic economy.” BSAS 15: 259-65.
(JSTOR)

Boardman, J. 2001. “A History of Greek Vases.” In A History of Greek Vases. Thames & Hudson: 11-127. (PDF)
FAL: NK4645.B553

Boyd, T. 1981. “Halieis: A Fourth Planned City in Classical Greece.” The Town Planning Review: 143-156.
(JSTOR)

Burns, B. 2007. “Epic Reconstruction: Homeric Palaces and Mycenaean Architecture.” In Epos: reconsidering
Greek epic and Aegean bronze age archaeology: proceedings of the 11th International Aegean Conference: 141-
49. (PDF)

Cahill, N. 2000. “Olynthus and Greek Town Planning.” CW 93: 497-515. (JSTOR)

Chapin, A. 2004. “Power, Privilege, and Landscape in Minoan Art.” Hesperia 33: 47-64. (JSTOR)

Clarke, J. 2003. Art in The Lives of Ordinary Romans: Visual Representation and Non-Elite Viewers in Italy, 100
B.C.—A.D. 315. University of California Press. FAL: N72.S6 C58

Closterman, W. 2007. “Family Ideology and Family History: The Function of Funerary Markers in Classical Attic
Peribolos Tombs.” AJA 111: 633-52. (JSTOR)

Cormak, S. 2007. “The tombs at Pompeii,” in The World of Pompeii, edited by J. Dobbins and P. Foss. Routledge:
585-606. MAIN: DG70.P7 W77

DeLaine, J. 2005. “The Commercial Landscape of Ostia.” In Roman Working Lives and Urban Living, edited by
A. MacMahon and J. Price. Oxbow: 29-47. RGV

DeRose Evans, J. 2013. “The Late Republican City of Rome.” in A Companion to The Archaeology of The Roman
Republic. Wiley: 459-71. (PDF)

Dyson, S. 2010. “From Sulla to Octavian.” In Rome: a Living Portrait of an Ancient City. John Hopkins
University Press: 79-114. (PDF) RGV

Elsner, J. 1994. “Constructing Decadence: the Representation of Nero as Builder.” In Reflections of Nero:
Culture, History, & Representation, edited by J. Elsner and J. Masters. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Press: 112-127. (PDF) MAIN: DG285.R44

Elsner, J. 1998. Imperial Rome and the Christian Triumph. Oxford University Press. (PDF) FAL N5760.E484

Favro, D. 2005. “Making Rome A World City.” In The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Augustus. Cambridge
University Press: 234-63. (PDF) MAIN DG279.C35

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Gunderson, E. 2003. “The Flavian Amphitheatre: All the Worlds as Stage.” In Flavian Rome, edited by A. Boyle
and W. Dominik. Bill: 637-84. (PDF) MAIN: DG286.F53

Hayes, S. 2000. Etruscan Civilization: A Cultural History. Getty Publications. (PDF) RGV

Hopkins, J. 2007. “The Cloaca Maxima & the Monumental Manipulation of Water in Archaic Rome.” The Waters
of Rome 4: 1-15. (PDF)

Kimmelman, M. 2010. “Who Draws the Borders of Culture?” The New York Times. (PDF)

Krautheimer, P. 1983. Three Christian Capitals. University California Press: 1-40. (PDF) MAIN: DG63.K7

Kunze, C. 2015. “Formal Approaches” in In!The$Oxford$Handbook$of$Greek$and$Roman$Art$and$Architecture.!

Oxford!University!Press:!541M56.!(PDF)!FAL: N5630.O94

Lemos, I. 2001.‘The Lefkandi Connection: Networking in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean’ in Italy and
Cyprus in Antiquity: 1500-450 BC. Proceedings of an International Symposium held at the Italian Academy for
Advanced Studies in America at Columbia University, November 16-18, 2000, edited by L. Bonfante and V.
Karageorghis. Nicosia: 215-26. (PDF)

Ling, R. 1990. “A Stranger in Town: Finding the Way in an Ancient City.” GR 37: 204-214. (JSTOR)

Ling, R. 2007. “Development of Pompeii’s public landscape in the Roman period.” In World of Pompeii, edited
by J. Dobbins and P. Foss. Routledge: 119-28. (PDF) MAIN: DG70.P7 W77

Macroni, C. 2004. “The Imagery of the Archaic Greek Temple.” AA 45: 211-24. (JSTOR)

Manning, S. et al. 2006. “Chronology for the Aegean Late Bronze Age 1700-1400 B.C.” Science: 565-69.
(JSTOR)

MacDonald, W. and J. Pinto. 1995. Hadrian’s Villa and Its Legacy. Yale University Press. (PDF) FAL: NA
327.T5 M23

McGinn, T. 2004. “Honor and Erotic Art.” in The Economy of Prostitution in the Roman World: A Study of Social
History. University of Michigan Press: 112-33.

Morris, I. “The social dimensions of early Greek burial,” in Burial and Ancient Society: The rise of the Greek city-
state (1987): 44-56. (PDF) MAIN: DF101.M67

Neils, J. 2001. “Iconographia: Identifying the Player.” In The Parthenon Frieze. Cambridge University Press.
(PDF) FAL NA2965.N45

Nevett, L. 1995. “Gender Relations in the Classical Greek Household: The Archaeological Evidence.” ABSA 90:
363-81. (JSTOR)

Nevett, L. 2007. “Greek houses as a source of evidence for social relations.” BSAS 15: 5-10. (JSTOR)

Oakley, J. “Greek Vase Painting.” AJA 113: 599-627. (JSTOR)

Osborne, R. 2007. “Did democracy transform Athenian space?” BSAS 15: 195-99. (JSTOR)

Packer, J. 2001. The Forum of Trajan in Rome. University California Press. (PDF) FNAR: NA 312.P23 2001

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Parkins, H. 1998. “Time for Change? Shaping the Future of the Ancient Economy.” In Trade, Traders and the
Ancient City, edited by H. Parkins and C. Smith. Taylor & Francis: 1-15. (PDF) MAIN: HF357.T7

Patterson, C. 2006. “’Citizen Cemeteries’ in Classical Athens?” CQ 56: 48-56. (JSTOR)

Pollit, J. 1986. Art in the Hellenistic Age. Cambridge University Press. (PDF) FAL: N5630.P55

Pullen, D. 2013. “Crafts, Specialists, and Markets in Mycenaean Greece. Exchanging the Mycenaean Economy.”
AJA 117: 437-45. (JSTOR)

Snodgrass, A. 1998. “Learning to read in the dark.” In Homer and the Artists, 12-39. Cambridge University Press.
(PDF) FAL: NK4645.S63

Sparks, B. 2000. “Greek painted pottery.” In Making Classical Art, edited by R. Ling. Tempus.

Stambaugh, J. 1978. “The Function of a Roman Temple.” ANRW 2: 554-91. (PDF)

Stamper, J. 2005a. “EtruscoRoman Temples of the Early Republic.” In The Architecture of Roman Temples.
Cambridge University Press: 34-48. (PDF) FAL: NA323.S73

Stamper, J. 2005b. “Hadrian’s Pantheon.” In The Architecture of Roman Temples. Cambridge University Press:
184-205 (PDF) FAL: NA323.S73

Strocka, V. 2007. “Domestic Decoration: Painting and the “Four Styles,” in J. Dobbins and P. Foss (eds.), The
World of Pompeii. Routledge: 302-22. (PDF) MAIN: DG70.P7 W77

Vennarucci, R. 2015. “Marketing an Urban Identity: the shops and shopkeepers of ancient Rome.” In Crossing
Boundaries, Spanning Borders: Voyages Around Marketing’s Past, Proceedings of the 17th Biennial Conference
on Historical Analysis and Research in Marketing (CHARM), edited by R. A. Hawkins. CHARM Association:
135-58. (PDF)

Wallace-Hadrill, A. 1994. Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Princeton University Press: 3-16.
(PDF) MAIN: DG70.P7 W33

Wallace-Hadrill, A. 2007. “The Development of the Campanian House,” in J. Dobbins and P. Foss (eds.), The
World of Pompeii. Routledge: 279-91. (PDF) MAIN: DG70.P7 W77

Wilson Jones, M. 2014. “Formative Developments.” In Origins of Classical Architecture. Yale University Press:
33-60. (PDF) FAL: NA275.W55

Zanker, P. 1990. The Power of Images in Augustan Rome. University of Michigan Press. (PDF) MAIN:
N5760.Z36

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