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70969-01 - Seminar: Ancient Mediterranean Urbanism (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Brandon McDonald (brandon.mcdonald@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course is a survey of urbanism across the ancient Mediterranean region from Archaic Greece to late antiquity. We will explore the heart of urban settlements, from those lining the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to the multitude lying much further inland. Investigations of how and when complex Mediterranean settlements emerged, the societal structures that facilitated their rise and maintained (but not always) their stature, and the architectural structures which defined them. Sites of interest and investigation include, but are not limited to: Athens, Rome, Carthage, Alexandria, Londinium, Lepcis Magna, Tripolitania, Antioch, Constantinople, Ravenna. Key topics include: evolution from village to city; what constitutes a city?; city planning and layout; architectural phenomena (e.g. the Parthenon, Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Library of Alexandria, the harbor of Carthage); population; state/social organisation and management; economic frameworks; social and commercial spaces; religious/cultic spaces. |
| Learning objectives | The main objectives of this course include to gain an understanding of: - The diverse cities/settlements and monumental structures of the Ancient Mediterranean region, including terminology - The development and evolution of ancient Mediterranean building and city planning techniques and their impact on urbanism as we know it - Proper use of archaeological evidence, particularly architectural elements, for historical interpretations of urbanism - The significance of interdisciplinarity in historical analyses; that is, using all evidence at at one’s disposal – written, archaeological, and scientific – to form a most complete picture of past events - Scholarly interpretations of ancient accounts, documents and archaeological evidence, and potential biases within these interpretations - Comparative research – that is, how Ancient Mediterranean Urbanism relates to the world today and why it matters |
| Bibliography | - Martin-McAuliffe, S. L., & Millette, D. M. (Eds.). (2017). Ancient urban planning in the Mediterranean: new research directions. Routledge. - Hanson, J. W. (2016). An Urban Geography of the Roman World, 100 BC to AD 300. Archaeopress. - Moeller, N. (2016). The archaeology of urbanism in ancient Egypt: From the predynastic period to the end of the Middle Kingdom. Cambridge University Press. - Redon, B. (2019). New architectural practices and urbanism. A Companion to Greco‐Roman and Late Antique Egypt, 519-532. - Hakim, B. (2016). Mediterranean urbanism. Heidelberg: Springer. - Ward-Perkins, J. B. (1948). “Severan Art and Architecture at Lepcis Magna.” The Journal of Roman Studies, 38(1-2): 59-80. - Sewell, J. (2010). The formation of Roman urbanism, 338-200 BC: between contemporary foreign influence and Roman tradition. Journal of Roman archaeology. - Millett, M. (2024). Approaches to Roman urbanism in Italy: the example of Falerii Novi. Roman Urbanism in Italy: Recent Discoveries and New Directions, 5, 7. - Goodman, P. (2006). The Roman city and its periphery: from Rome to Gaul. Routledge. - Alston, R. D. (1997). Urbanism and the urban community in Roman Egypt. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 83(1), 199-216. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 16.15-17.45 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 01 |
Dates
| Modules |
Modul: Aufbau Alte Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: History) Modul: Epochen der europäischen Geschichte: Alte Geschichte (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Griechische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Griechische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Griechische Geschichte MA (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Modul: Römische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Römische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Römische Geschichte MA (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Modul: Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Vertiefung in Alter Geschichte (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Modul: Vertiefung in Geschichte und Altertumswissenschaften BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Vertiefung in Geschichte und Altertumswissenschaften BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Vertiefung in Geschichte und Altertumswissenschaften MA (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Wahlbereich Master Geschichte: Empfehlungen (Master's degree subject: History) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | You are graded on attendance, participation and a class presentation. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Alte Geschichte |