Undergraduate Course: Pompeii: a Roman town and its modern reception (ANHI10059)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Pompeii, a Roman town destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, has played a major part in the way we relate to the ancient world. From its rediscovery in the eighteenth century, Pompeii has prompted archaeologists, artists, writers and tourists to recover and re-imagine Roman life. The course will examine how evidence from Pompeii contributes to current academic understandings of Roman art, architecture, religious, economic and social life, and question how and why the town and its inhabitants are imaginatively reconstructed in paintings, novels and films up to this day. |
| Course description |
The course offers focussed study of the ancient Roman town Pompeii, covering a range of important topics that cover both thematic and conceptual issues, as well as questions concerning the source materials.
A typical class schedule may look like this:
W1: Pompeii: Destruction and Rediscovery
W2: Pompeii: History of Excavations
W3: Pompeii: City Layout and Structure
W4: Pompeii: Before the Romans
W5: Pompeii: Domestic Art and Architecture
W6: Pompeii: Economy
W7: Pompeii: Religion
W8: Pompeii: Social Life
W9: Modern Reception: 18th to 21st century depictions in art and literature
W10 Modern Reception: Harris' Pompeii
W11: Modern Reception: The future of Pompeii
The course is by definition interdisciplinary as it deals both with historical and archaeological questions and topics.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting Students should usually have at least 3 History/Classics courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate, in class discussion and by way of coursework and examination as required, knowledge and understanding of a variety of important evidence for the study of Pompeii;
- demonstrate, in class discussion and by way of coursework and examination as required, knowledge and understanding of the different types of questions asked by archaeologists and historians of the evidence;
- demonstrate, in class discussion and by way of coursework and examination as required, knowledge and understanding of the different later 'uses' of Pompeii;
- demonstrate, in class discussion and by way of coursework and examination as required, knowledge and understanding of the importance of Pompeii for our understanding of the ancient, esp. Roman world;
- demonstrate, in class discussion and by way of coursework and examination as required, knowledge and understanding of the importance of Pompeii for our understanding of ancient urban culture, as well as of modern urban culture.
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Reading List
Allison, Penelope. Pompeian Households: An Analysis of the Material Culture, University of California Los Angeles, 2004
Beard, Mary. The Fires of Vesuvius; Pompeii Lost and Found. Harvard University Press, 2008.
Berry, Joanne. The Complete Pompeii. Thames and Hudson, 2007.
Ciarello, Annamaria, Ernesto De Carolis (eds). Around the Walls of Pompeii. Electa, 1998.
Alison E. Cooley; M. G. L. Cooley. Pompeii: A Sourcebook. Routledge, 2004
Keppie, Lawrence. The Romans on the Bay of Naples: An Archaeological Guide. The History Press Ltd 2009.
Roger Ling. The Insula of the Menander at Pompeii. Clarendon Press, vol.1, 1997
Mau, August, Pompeii, Its Life and Art. New York, 1902, Reprinted, Caratzas New Rochelle, l982.
Mazzolini, Donatella, Umberto Pappalardo, Luciano Romano, Domus: Wall Painting in the Roman House. Getty Trust Publications, J. Paul Getty Museum. 2005.
Studia Pompeiana & Classica in honor of Wilhelmina Jashemski, Vol I: Pompeiana .ed. Robert I. Curtis. Caratzas, New Rochelle, NY, 1988.
Wallace-Hadrill, Andrew. Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Princeton University Press, 1994.
Zanker, Paul. Pompeii Public and Private Life. Trans. Deborah Lucas Schneider, Harvard University Press, 1998
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
In addition to the ILOs described above, students will also demonstrate a number of transferable skills, such as
* reading skills of a high volume (i.e. the digestion of large quantities of textual material)
* general analytical skills
* written and verbal communication skills
* oral presentation and discussion skills
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| Special Arrangements |
If non-Classics students are to be enrolled on this course, contact must be made with a Classics secretary (50 3580 or 50 3582) for confirmation if this is appropriate. |
| Keywords | Pompeii |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Elizabeth Munro
Tel: (0131 6)50 4614
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Toni Wigglesworth
Tel: (0131 6)50 3580
Email: |
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