511718 - ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE HELLENISTIC WORLD

insegnamento

ID:

511718

Durata (ore):

36

CFU:

SSD:

ARCHEOLOGIA CLASSICA

Anno:

2025

Periodo di attività

Primo Semestre (22/09/2025 - 19/12/2025)

Obiettivi Formativi

The course provides a comprehensive overview of the Hellenistic art and archaeology, from Alexander to Cleopatra, discussing the conventional beginning of Hellenism in 323 BC and focusing the key figure of Alexander the Great. His action will be examined, as turning point in a period of political, cultural and ethical transformation, moving from the conquest of Persia and Persian “empire”, proceeding through lands and peoples previously unknown to the Greeks. The relationships of conquest but also of mutual interaction and integration will be examinated through the new (or refounded) cities by Alexander, and through architecture, artistic and artisanal production of the lands he conquered: the advance of Alexander embraces Asia Minor, Persia, Egypt until Pakistan, Afghanistan and beyond, and stays only in front of India. This is exactly the meaning of Hellenism: the expansion of borders, the creation of a global, transcultural society and of an universal language in all the Mediterranean Sea, which will be illustrated through significant case studies. Objectives: • Understand the cultural framework of Hellenistic civilization and the diffusion of productions • Familiarize with the most significant testimonies of Hellenistic civilization, material and ephemeral • Identify and analyze key artistic styles, techniques, and materials used in Hellenistic art and architecture • Explore the relationship between artistic production and historical, political, and social developments • Develop critical thinking skills in the interpretation of material culture and archaeological evidence

Prerequisiti

Good knowledge of classical archaeology

Metodi didattici

The teaching and learning process is based on a combination of: • (Mandatory) 18 lectures/classes (in-person frontal teaching, supported by PowerPoint presentations). Since archaeology requires a thorough understanding of visual and contextual material and of the literary sources, attendance at lectures is essential. The course may also include guided visits to museum collections. • (Mandatory) Individual study: each student must read all the compulsory books (see the reading list below) and write a short essay, the topic of which is to be agreed upon in advance with the teacher. The course will start with an introduction followed by a presentation according to a chronological, geographical and thematic structure. For each topic analyzed, special attention will be given to urban and architectonic development as well as different artistic and artisanal forms. In particular, the course will start with the change brought about by Alexander's arrival, looking at his influence on the kingdoms of his descendants and on social life. In the subsequent part of the course the Hellenistic culture will be examined, as seen in the kingdoms that emerged from the dissolution of the Macedonian empire, as Egypt, Macedonia, Syria, Pergamon, as far as Bactria, Sogdiana and India, the smaller and larger realms throughout Asia, but also Rhodes and Delos, concluding with the Western Mediterranean, outside Alexander's sphere of influence, with the territories of Spain and North Africa, Apulia, Sicily and Etruria, as far as Rome.

Verifica Apprendimento

Evaluation will be based on an oral exam, including picture-based questions and open questions on both general and specific topics covered in the lectures or derived from the compulsory readings, and on a paper, on one of the cultural areas or on specific topics examined in the class. Final exam: oral (50%) and paper (50%)

Testi

Preliminary reading list: A. Stewart, Alexander in Greek and Roman Art, in J. Roisman (ed.), Brill's companion to Alexander the Great, Leiden-Boston, 2003, pp. 31-66. J. J. Pollitt, Art in the hellenistic age, Cambridge 1986. C.A. Picón - S. Hemingway (eds.), Pergamon and the hellenistic kingdoms of the ancient world, exhibition catalogue (New York 2016). https://www.metmuseum.org/it/met-publications/pergamon-and-the-hellenistic-kingdoms-of-the-ancient-world Additional articles and readings may be recommended in every class.

Contenuti

The course consists of lectures at the University focused on the urbanistic, architecture, art, archaeology, material and immaterial culture of the Hellenistic period, supported by the use of the literary and iconographical sources.

Lingua Insegnamento

English

Altre informazioni

Lecture and seminar attendance is mandatory. Students missing ≥ 25% of the lectures must promptly inform the Course Director, Prof. E. Calandra. To compensate for missed lectures, they will be required to discuss a revised version of the exam program with the Professor.