Postgraduate Course: Approaches to the Long Late Antiquity (PGHC11360)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgraduate (School of History and Classics) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course introduces students to the chronology, key themes, and of sources of the 'Long Late Antiquity' (ca. 285-800). The course will take students through key developments and themes that define the Mediterranean world in this period, and characterize the 'late antique', 'early Islamic' and 'Byzantine' worlds. In this way students will be able to grasp both continuity and change across this period, and across political, religious and geographical boundaries. The course also introduces students to the key sources (literary and material) from the period.
In this way this course will serve as the core course for the new cross-school degree programme in Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies, providing an all-important basis for the more-specialised studies offered by the course options and the dissertation. However, it will also serve as an excellent stand-alone class for students on other programmes with an interest in the 'Long Late Antiquity'. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2013/14 Full Year, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
16/09/2013 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
200 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Assessment Methods
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| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students should be able, through written work and class participation, to:
- demonstrate an understanding of the chronology and characteristic aspects of the Long Late Antiquity
- demonstrate a clear awareness of the main historical and cultural phenomena of the Long Late Antiquity
- demonstrate an understanding of what both unites and defines the 'late antique', 'early Islamic' and 'early Byzantine' periods which make up Long Late Antiquity.
- demonstrate an ability to deal critically with primary sources, of varying types
In addition they should be able to:
- develop skills in interpreting primary sources
- assess, analyse and criticise the various forms of late antique materials.
- compare and evaluate different approaches to and explanations of the late antique material in the secondary sources and make critical choices between them.
- express their ideas and arguments clearly (in both oral and written form).
- compare data from different sources and draw conclusions from them.
- develop skills in alternative forms of written work: power points/posters.
- enhance bibliographical research skills.
- organise their own learning, manage their workload and work to a timetable. |
Assessment Information
Two pieces of work
1. (due at end of sem. 1) a poster-presentation/ Powerpoint on a literary source or example of material culture (e.g. a palace, a panegyric, an ecphrasis, a papyrus, a coin). (50%) (recommended maximum length of 750 words).
2. (due at end of sem. 2) an essay on a general theme arising from the course, chosen by the student in consultation with academic staff (50%) (3000 words). |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
This course is designed to introduce to students to essential chronology, key themes, and a variety of sources for the 'long late antiquity' (ca. 285-800). This is an indicative programme only:
1. Introduction: what is 'Long Late Antiquity'?
2. The city of Rome
3. The Theodosian Code
4. Historical writing
5. Constantinople
6. Byzantium in the West
7. The Sassanians
8. Damascus and Jerusalem under the Umayyads
9. Urban Space
10. Iconoclasm
11. The Holy |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Berkey, J. (2002) The Formation of Islam. Cambridge.
Bowersock, G., Brown, P. and Grabar, O. (eds) (1998) Late Antiquity. A Guide to the Post-classical World. London.
Bowman, A. Cameron, Av and Garnsey, P. (eds) (2004) The Cambridge Ancient History vol. 12: The Crisis of Empire: AD 193-337. Cambridge.
Brown, P. (1981) The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity. London.
Cameron, Av. and Garnsey, P. (1998) (eds) The Cambridge Ancient History vol. 13: The Late Empire, A.D. 337-425. Cambridge.
Cameron, Av., Ward-Perkins, B. and Whitby, M. (eds) (2000) Cambridge Ancient History vol. 14: Late Antiquity: Empire and Successors, A.D. 425-600. Cambridge.
Cook, M. ed.(2010) The New Cambridge History of Islam. Cambridge.
Cormack, R. (2000) Byzantine Art. Oxford.
Crone, P. (2005) Medieval Islamic Political Thought. Edinburgh.
Crone, P. (2008) From Arabian tribes to Islamic empire?: army, state and society in the Near East c.600-850. Aldershot.
Curran, J. (1999) Pagan City and Christian Capital: Rome in the Fourth Century. Oxford.
Dagron, G. (1974) Naissance d¿une capitale: Constantinople et ses Institutions, 330-451. Paris.
Donner, F. (1981) The Early Islamic Conquests. Princeton.
Fowden, G. (1993) Empire to Commonwealth: Consequences of monotheism in late antiquity. Princeton.
George, A. (2010) The Rise of Islamic Calligraphy. Berkeley, Calif.
Grig, L. and Kelly, G. (2012) Two Romes: Rome and Constantinople in Late Antiquity. New York
Haldon, J. (2010) Money, Power and Politics in early Islamic Syria: a review of current debates. Aldershot.
Harries, J. (1999) Law and Empire in Late Antiquity. Cambridge.
Harris,W.V. (ed.) (1999) The Transformations of Vrbs Roma in Late Antiquity. Portsmouth, R.I.
Hawting, G. (1987) The First Dynasty of Islam: The Umayyad Caliphate AD 661-750. Carbondale and Edwardsville.
Hillenbrand, R. (1999) Islamic Art and Architecture. London
Hordern, P and Purcell, N. (2000) The Corrupting Sea, a Study of Mediterranean History. London.
Howard-Johnston, J.D. (2010) Witnesses to a world crisis?: Historians and histories of the Middle East in the seventh century. Oxford.
Hoyland, R. (1997) Seeing Islam as Others Saw It: A Survey of Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian Writings on Early Islam. Princeton.
Jones, A.H.M. (1964) The Later Roman Empire 284-602: A Social, Economic, and Administrative Survey. Oxford.
Kelly, G. (2008) Ammianus Marcellinus: The Allusive Historian. Cambridge.
Kennedy, H. (2004) The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: the Islamic Near East from the sixth century to the eleventh century. London.
Krautheimer, R. (1983)Three Christian Capitals: Topography and Politics. London.
Lenski, N. (2006) The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine. Cambridge.
L¿Orange, H. (1965) Art Forms and Civic Life in the Late Roman Empire. Princeton, N.J.
Maas, M. (2004) The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian. Cambridge.
Mango, C. (2002) The Oxford History of Byzantium. .Oxford.
Mango, C. (1985) Le développement urbain de Constantinople (IVe-VIIe siècles). Paris.
Marsham, A. (2009) Rituals of Islamic monarchy?: accession and succession in the first Muslim empire. Edinburgh.
Markus, R. (1990) The End of Ancient Christianity. Cambridge.
Matthews, J.F. (1990) Western Aristocracies and Imperial Court AD 364-425. Oxford,
Matthews, J.F. (1989) The Roman Empire of Ammianus. London.
Millar, F. (2006) A Greek Roman Empire: Power and Belief under Theodosius II 408-450. Berkeley.
Robinson, C. F. (2003) Islamic Historiography. Cambridge.
Empire. Cambridge, Mass.
Shelton, K. (1981) The Esquiline Treasure. London.
Weitzmann, K. (1979) Age of Spirituality: Catalogue of the Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York. |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Fortnightly across the two semesters: 22 hours in total, as usual. As a rule, most classes will be taught by two members of staff, in order to provide complementary expertise. Students are expected to read and/or prepare presentations for each session. |
| Keywords | LongLateAntiquity |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Jim Crow
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Rosie Edwards
Tel: (0131 6)50 3782
Email: |
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