Unit information: The Archaeology and Topography of Ancient Greece in 2012/13

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Unit name The Archaeology and Topography of Ancient Greece
Unit code ARCH20021
Credit points 20
Level of study I/5
Teaching block(s) Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director Professor. Alex Bentley
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

None
Co-requisites

None
School/department Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Faculty Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit offers an introduction to the archaeology and topography of ancient Greece from the Prehistoric to the Byzantine period, based on guided museum and site visits (often conducted by those responsible for the site's excavations). Sites normally included are: Athens (Acropolis, Agora, Kerameikos,), Olympia, Delphi, Corinth, Sparta, Mystra, Daphne, Mycenae, Pylos, and Tyrins among any others. Museums normally included are: National Museum, Goulandris, Benaki and Byzantine museum (Athens) and the local museums at Olympia, Delphi, Corinth, etc.

Aims:

To introduce students to the study of:

  • The material culture and the built environment of Greece over several millennia;
  • The relationship between archaeological sites and their environment;
  • The diachronic change in individual sites and across wider regions;
  • The comparison between textual and archaeological evidence

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students taking this unit will gain some first hand knowledge of:

  • A number of major archaeological sites and museums in Greece
  • How to interpret archaeological evidence on site
  • How to compare and contrast textual and archaeological evidence

Teaching Information

Guided site and museum visits in Greece conducted by members of staff of the BSA, and brief student presentations on site. Individual tutorials (up to 1-2 hours) will also be given in the UK, to help with your assessment.

Assessment Information

Either an essay or a notebook (i.e. a reflective diary), to be submitted by the end of teaching block 1 following participation in the Summer Course.

Reading and References

Mee, Christopher & Antony Spawforth. Greece :an Oxford archaeological guide (Oxford University Press, 2001)

Whitley, J. (2001) The Archaeology of Ancient Greece (Cambridge University Press, 2001)

Rutter, J.B. The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean (Dartmouth, 1996 -). http://devlab.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze_age/

More specific bibliographical references for essays/notebooks can be discussed with the Unit Director and other members of staff at Bristol University or at the BSA.

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