Ancient Greece: Archaeology and Art

This subject is not offered in 2011.

This subject concentrates on mainland Greece and the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to the Archaic period down to ca. 500 BC, examining what we know about the archaeology and art of this period and what developments there have been over the last decade. The main emphases will be on the rise and fall of Bronze Age civilisations, such as the Minoans and Mycenaeans, the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age, economic and social affairs, as well as material culture, seen from archaeological evidence. The emergence of the polis system from small villages will be explored. and the role of religious practices and temples. The art and archaeology of the Greeks in other areas of the Mediterranean will be studied. There is detailed examination of modern scholarship on ethnicity, colonisation, migration and acculturation. These concepts are especially important for the study of the Archaic period, which differs greatly from the succeeding Classical period that has given us the splendid monuments of the Athenian Acropolis.

Students who successfully complete this subject should...

• possess a detailed knowledge of the development of the city-state in ancient Greece.
• understand the social issues raised by the growth of the Greek polis.
• be aware of the difficulties involved in interpreting the archaeological evidence for the growth of the Greek polis.
• be able to apply current scholarly methodologies to the analysis of the city-states contribution to the construction of Greek ethnicity.

A tutorial presentation and essay of 2500 words 60% (due during semester) and a take-home exam of 1500 words 30% (due during the examination period) and tutorial participation10%.

Hurdle requirement: students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials in order to pass this subject. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day; after five days, no late assessment will be accepted. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

• D. Preziosi and L.A. Hitchcock, Aegean Art and Archaeology, Oxford 1999.
• I. Morris and B.B. Powell, The Greeks: History, Culture, and Society, Upper Saddle River, NJ 2006

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

• be skilled in critical thinking.

• possess effective written communication skills.

• have an understanding of social, ethical and cultural context.