Undergraduate Course: Roman Architecture (CACA10036)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course provides a detail examination of the materials, technology, and function of Roman buildings, as well as their appearance and effect, from the middle Republic to the Late Roman period, and from all areas of the Roman world.
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| Course description |
Architecture was the Roman art par excellence, and Roman buildings provide some of the most impressive and best preserved monuments from the ancient world. The long imperial Roman peace has left the densest and most varied architectural record of any period of antiquity, and at the height of the empire more cities, communities, and individuals than ever before came to invest in monumental built structures. This course studies the materials, technology, and functions of these buildings as well as their appearance and effect, from the middle Republic through to the Late Roman period, in all areas of the Roman empire. Students will learn about major monuments in Rome and Italy and other leading centres of the empire (such as Athens, Ephesus, Palmyra, and Lepcis Magna) and about the main strands and contexts of construction in the eastern and western provinces. They will become familiar with analyzing the technical aspects of Roman construction as well as the artistic, with additional weeks devoted to Roman writing on architecture and the later reception of Classical architectural traditions.
The course will usually include an optional walking tour of parts of Edinburgh to examine the reception of Classical architecture, filtered through Roman developments, in the buildings of the city.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics related subject matter (at least 1 of which should be in Classical Archaeology) 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 understanding of the materials and techniques of Roman construction, as well as their significance
- demonstrate familiarity with the range of building types constructed in the Roman period, as well as their chronological and regional variety
- analyse Roman architecture from a variety of perspectives, drawing on standing remains, excavation reports, reconstructions, literary and epigraphic sources,
- demonstrate an awareness of scholarship on Roman architecture and new developments in the field
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Reading List
Anderson, J.C. (1997), Roman Architecture and Society, Baltimore and London.
Blake, M.E. (1947), Ancient Roman Construction in Italy from the Prehistoric Period to Augustus, Washington.
Böethius, A. (2nd edn. 1978), Etruscan and Early Roman Architecture, Harmondsworth.
Gros, P. (1996), L'architecture romaine du début du IIIe siècle av. J.C. à la fin du Haut-Empire, 1: Les monuments publics, Paris.
Gros, P. (2001), L'architecture romaine du début du IIIe siècle av. J.C. à la fin du Haut-Empire, 2: Maisons, palais, villa et tombeaux, Paris.
Lancaster, L. (2005), Concrete Vaulted Construction in Imperial Rome: Innovations in Context, Cambridge.
MacDonald, W.L. (1982), The Architecture of the Roman Empire. An Introductory Study, 2 vols., New Haven.
Rowland, I.D., and Noble Howe, T., eds (1999), Vitruvius, Ten Books on Architecture, Cambridge.
Sear, F. (2nd edn; 1982), Roman Architecture, London.
Ward-Perkins, J.B. (2nd edn; 1981). Roman Imperial Architecture, Harmondsworth.
Wilson Jones, M. (2000), Principles of Roman Architecture, New Haven. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will demonstrate that they can:
- gather material independently on a given topic and organise it into a coherent data set;
- compare differing sets of data from varying situations and draw conclusions from them;
- evaluate different approaches to and explanations of material, and make critical choices between them;
- express clearly ideas and arguments, both orally and in writing;
- organise complex and lengthy sets of arguments and draw these together into a coherent conclusion;
- organise their own learning, manage their workload and work to a timetable. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Benjamin Russell
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Jenni Vento
Tel: (0131 6)50 3781
Email: |
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