| Unit name | Art in the Ancient World |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CLAS22365 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Hales |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Traditionally, the history of ancient art is a history of rise and decline, a story of stylistic development that culminates in the achievements of the Classical age, declines in the Hellenistic age and reaches its nadir at the end of the Roman period, only to be revived in the Renaissance. Using the Parthenon sculptures as a key example, this unit will ask why we think about classical art in these terms but its real focus will be on how art works in practice. We will think about how the audiences of the Classical and Hellenistic world engaged with the art around them. Why did classical Greece produce such naturalistic art and why/how did later audiences continue to use the style in new contexts? And why did new styles and themes, that appear to challenge the values of classical art, come into existence?
Aims:
To introduce students to the role of art in the ancient world; its uses and contexts and an awareness of how these change over time. To teach students the ability to recognise the major artistic styles and media of the ancient world.
Students will be be able to use the knowledge acquired in class and through their own reading to construct coherent, relevant and persuasive arguments on the role of art in the ancient world.
They will have had the opportunity to develop their communication skills in class discussion and in the composition of written work.
Lectures and seminars
One course work essay of c. 2,500 words – 50 marks; one written examination (one and a half hours) involving comment on three out of a choice of six images and one essay from a choice of four – 50 marks.
