Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean (310-0-1)

Instructors

Taco Tjitte Terpstra
Kresge 4353

Meeting Info

Locy Hall 109: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

The cities buried by Mount Vesuvius hold an undying place in the modern imagination. Tourists marvel at the size of the sites and empathize with the plight of the towns' inhabitants. But Campania's destroyed cities have more to offer than the story of the 79 AD earthquake. Rather than present a static picture of Campania's towns as "frozen in time," this course takes a diachronic approach to the rich archaeological material. Campania was not originally Roman territory and was conquered by force of arms. Pompeii, often seen as an archetypal Roman town, was not Roman at all for most of its ancient existence. Still, at the time of the eruption Campania's cities were thoroughly Romanized; they are now famous for the evidence they provide for Roman daily life. This course will survey key aspects of the evidence, as well as current archaeological techniques and fieldwork. The course will also discuss the 18th and 19th century uncovering of Campania's cities, which is a story in its own right.

Class Materials (Required)

Berry, Joanne. The Complete Pompeii. London: Thames & Hudson, 2013. ISBN 978-0-500-05150-4

Class Notes

Please use the following link for Classics waitlist information: https://classics.northwestern.edu/courses/2023-2024/classics-waitlist.html

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Interdisciplinary Distro-rules apply
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area