The course is an introduction to the urban development of Rome from the Iron Age hut settlements on the Palatine hill to the city’s decline in Late Antiquity. It will examine the different phases of Rome’s topographical transformations by looking at the main areas of the ancient city, as well as by analyzing different typologies of monuments and urban infrastructure. By the end of the course, students will gain a first-hand insight on the physical appearance of one of the largest and most complex cites of the ancient world. (3 credits)
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students are able to:
- recognize the complex development phases of ancient Rome;
- analyze the geo-morphological characteristics of the site;
- identify forms of urban infrastructure and typologies of public and private monuments;
- understand the historical, social and political significance of major urban and architectural projects;
- trace the urban development of the ancient city by areas;
- reconstruct and visualize the urban framework and topography of the ancient city
Method of presentation:
Field studies to archaeological sites, monuments and museums; lectures; slide presentations; virtual reality reconstructions.
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English
Required work and form of assessment:
Class participation (20%); in-class and on-site presentations (20%); midterm exam (30%); final exam (30%).
content:
The study of ancient Rome will proceed by area rather than by chronological order. The course will start by examining the center of ancient Rome and gradually move to the city limits and beyond.
Week 1 Introduction
How to approach the topographical layout of an ancient city tracing its continuous development from the VII century BC to the IV century AD.
Week 2 Forum and Capitoline
The center of Roman public life has a complex history from the Iron age to the IV century AD. The Roman Forum, with its religious, political and civic buildings becomes a model for structuring public spaces in all Roman cities of the Empire.
Week 3 The Palatine Hill
Romulus founded Rome on the Palatine hill which soon developed into a residential area for the Roman nobility to then become the seat of the Imperial Palace.
Site visits: Hut of Romulus, House of Livia, House of Augustus, Imperial Palace.
Week 4 The Tiber
The city’s waterway through which all trade goods from the Mediterranean flowed in to the city. Its banks were crowded with emporia, storage buildings, while its width was spanned by bridges, some of which are still in use today.
Site visits: Forum Boarium, Tiber Island, Roman bridges.
Week 5 Imperial Fora
The splendour of imperial public construction which gave Rome public squares, porticoes, law courts and some of its largest religious civic and religious buildings, all used as billboards for imperial political propaganda.
Site visits: Forum of Caesar, Augustus, Vespasian, Nerva, Trajan; Column and Markets of Trajan.
Week 6 Review session and midterm exam
Week 7 The Valley of the Colosseum
At the center of imperial estates the valley was returned to public use by the construction of the Colosseum.
Site visits: Colosseum, Ludus Magnus, Arch of Constantine, Temple of Venus and Rome
Week 8 Campus Martius 1
The area where the Roman army trained became the site for sanctuaries and Imperial landmarks such as the Ara Pacis, the Mausoleum and Horologium of Augustus, the Stadium of Domitian.
Week 9 Campus Martius 2
A busy neighbourhood on the banks of the Tiber dedicated to business and public entertainment filled with theatres and temples.
Site visits: the Pantheon, the Hadrianeum, Column of Marcus Aurelius, Sanctuary of Largo Argentina.
Week 10 The periphery
The sprawling imperial baths complexes of ancient Rome developed in all areas of the city alongside, villas, entertainment buildings and densely populated neighbourhoods.
Site Visit: Baths of Caracalla
Week 11 Overview of the ancient city
The plaster models in the Museum of Roman Civilization readily provide insight on the layout of the ancient city and detailed reconstructions of the monuments.
Site visits: Museo della Civiltà Romana
Week 12 Beyond the Pomerium
The first great Christian basilicas developed outside the city boundaries where, villas, estates, burial grounds and aqueducts dotted the Roman countryside beyond the Aurelian Walls. Final exam review
Final Exam
Required readings:
Coarelli, Filippo, Rome and Environs. An Archaeological Guide. Laterza
A comprehensive guide to ancient Rome which effectively covers all sites, monuments and works of art of the topographical areas that are the focus of this course.
Ward-Perkins, J.B. Roman Imperial Architecture. London: Pelican History of Art, 1981.
A detailed study of the development of ancient Roman architecture in Rome, Italy and the provinces.
Recommended readings:
Adam, J.P. Building in the Roman World. Paris: 1984.
Claridge, Amanda. Rome, An Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford, 1998.
Strong, D. Roman Art. London: Pelican History of Art, 1976.
Wilson Jones, M. Principles of Roman Architecture. New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 2000
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Gianni Ponti is a professional archaeologist specialized in Imperial Roman architecture. His studies and research have focused on the use of marble in Roman construction. After earning a BA in Classics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Prof. Ponti obtained a Laurea in archaeology from the University of Rome. He has worked on several archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean, including Troy, Aphrodisias and Leptis Magna. In Rome, he is a consultant to the Department of Antiquities. He is currently directing an American excavation at the Villa of Maxentius on the Via Appia, as well as conducting architectural studies at Leptis Magna, Libya. He has published articles on marble carving techniques and Roman quarries.
Forma Urbis: The Archaeology Of Ancient Rome
The course is an introduction to the urban development of Rome from the Iron Age hut settlements on the Palatine hill to the city’s decline in Late Antiquity. It will examine the different phases of Rome’s topographical transformations by looking at the main areas of the ancient city, as well as by analyzing different typologies of monuments and urban infrastructure. By the end of the course, students will gain a first-hand insight on the physical appearance of one of the largest and most complex cites of the ancient world. (3 credits)
By the end of the course, students are able to:
- recognize the complex development phases of ancient Rome;
- analyze the geo-morphological characteristics of the site;
- identify forms of urban infrastructure and typologies of public and private monuments;
- understand the historical, social and political significance of major urban and architectural projects;
- trace the urban development of the ancient city by areas;
- reconstruct and visualize the urban framework and topography of the ancient city
Field studies to archaeological sites, monuments and museums; lectures; slide presentations; virtual reality reconstructions.
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English
Class participation (20%); in-class and on-site presentations (20%); midterm exam (30%); final exam (30%).
The study of ancient Rome will proceed by area rather than by chronological order. The course will start by examining the center of ancient Rome and gradually move to the city limits and beyond.
Week 1 Introduction
How to approach the topographical layout of an ancient city tracing its continuous development from the VII century BC to the IV century AD.
Week 2 Forum and Capitoline
The center of Roman public life has a complex history from the Iron age to the IV century AD. The Roman Forum, with its religious, political and civic buildings becomes a model for structuring public spaces in all Roman cities of the Empire.
Week 3 The Palatine Hill
Romulus founded Rome on the Palatine hill which soon developed into a residential area for the Roman nobility to then become the seat of the Imperial Palace.
Site visits: Hut of Romulus, House of Livia, House of Augustus, Imperial Palace.
Week 4 The Tiber
The city’s waterway through which all trade goods from the Mediterranean flowed in to the city. Its banks were crowded with emporia, storage buildings, while its width was spanned by bridges, some of which are still in use today.
Site visits: Forum Boarium, Tiber Island, Roman bridges.
Week 5 Imperial Fora
The splendour of imperial public construction which gave Rome public squares, porticoes, law courts and some of its largest religious civic and religious buildings, all used as billboards for imperial political propaganda.
Site visits: Forum of Caesar, Augustus, Vespasian, Nerva, Trajan; Column and Markets of Trajan.
Week 6 Review session and midterm exam
Week 7 The Valley of the Colosseum
At the center of imperial estates the valley was returned to public use by the construction of the Colosseum.
Site visits: Colosseum, Ludus Magnus, Arch of Constantine, Temple of Venus and Rome
Week 8 Campus Martius 1
The area where the Roman army trained became the site for sanctuaries and Imperial landmarks such as the Ara Pacis, the Mausoleum and Horologium of Augustus, the Stadium of Domitian.
Week 9 Campus Martius 2
A busy neighbourhood on the banks of the Tiber dedicated to business and public entertainment filled with theatres and temples.
Site visits: the Pantheon, the Hadrianeum, Column of Marcus Aurelius, Sanctuary of Largo Argentina.
Week 10 The periphery
The sprawling imperial baths complexes of ancient Rome developed in all areas of the city alongside, villas, entertainment buildings and densely populated neighbourhoods.
Site Visit: Baths of Caracalla
Week 11 Overview of the ancient city
The plaster models in the Museum of Roman Civilization readily provide insight on the layout of the ancient city and detailed reconstructions of the monuments.
Site visits: Museo della Civiltà Romana
Week 12 Beyond the Pomerium
The first great Christian basilicas developed outside the city boundaries where, villas, estates, burial grounds and aqueducts dotted the Roman countryside beyond the Aurelian Walls. Final exam review
Final Exam
Coarelli, Filippo, Rome and Environs. An Archaeological Guide. Laterza
A comprehensive guide to ancient Rome which effectively covers all sites, monuments and works of art of the topographical areas that are the focus of this course.
Ward-Perkins, J.B. Roman Imperial Architecture. London: Pelican History of Art, 1981.
A detailed study of the development of ancient Roman architecture in Rome, Italy and the provinces.
Adam, J.P. Building in the Roman World. Paris: 1984.
Claridge, Amanda. Rome, An Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford, 1998.
Strong, D. Roman Art. London: Pelican History of Art, 1976.
Wilson Jones, M. Principles of Roman Architecture. New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 2000
Gianni Ponti is a professional archaeologist specialized in Imperial Roman architecture. His studies and research have focused on the use of marble in Roman construction. After earning a BA in Classics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Prof. Ponti obtained a Laurea in archaeology from the University of Rome. He has worked on several archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean, including Troy, Aphrodisias and Leptis Magna. In Rome, he is a consultant to the Department of Antiquities. He is currently directing an American excavation at the Villa of Maxentius on the Via Appia, as well as conducting architectural studies at Leptis Magna, Libya. He has published articles on marble carving techniques and Roman quarries.
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