Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This course examines the archaeology of the Roman Empire from Augustus to Justinian. It spans a period that saw high drama and rapid change for many of the peoples of Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor and the Near East. The different and unequal ways that the imperial authorities and local populations adapted to one another are manifested in a plethora of settings, from epic monuments to humble homes, and from rich graves to rubbish pits. This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the landscapes, buildings and artefacts of the Empire, while at the same time revealing the important role of regions far beyond Rome in generating new forms, styles and ideas.

Outline Of Syllabus

In order to give participants a deeper insight into the temporal change in the Roman world, each week explores a different theme with cases studies from Augustus to the Tetrarchy and from Constantine to Justinian. Themes include power, patronage and the emperors, urbanism, the military, religion and ritual, leisure and entertainment, and the economy. At all times students will be invited to explore both those elements that served to bind the empire together, and those that contributed to enduring and emerging regional and provincial cultures. As an archaeology module, this course emphasises the contribution of material culture to our understanding of daily life in the Roman Empire.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

1 Students will demonstrate a detailed awareness of the role of archaeology in expanding our understanding of the Roman Empire.

2 Students will learn how to identify and analyse key artefact types.

3 Students will be familiar with a variety of interpretative frameworks for modelling contact and culture change, and will show an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of these models.

4 Students will show awareness of the widely differing ways in which the Roman past is presented and exploited in the modern world.

Intended Skill Outcomes

In order to complete the module successfully, all students must demonstrate that they have developed the following intellectual skills:

- Reading, understanding, critiquing historical and archaeological data.
- The capacity to work with bulk finds data and to appreciate basic statistical models for numismatic analysis.
- Analysing and evaluating archaeologists’ use of evidence.
- Research, critical reading and reasoning, sustained discussion and appropriate presentation of the results.

All students will also develop the following key skills:

- Time management
- Bibliographic and library skills
- Oral discussion and debate
- Writing and revising analytic prose

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The programme combines lectures, seminars and projects to develop student familiarity with both synthetic analysis and raw material for the study of the Roman Empire.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The first formative piece of work will be one 200-word description of an artefact or building to develop skills and prepare for portfolio. This will enable the students to practice a case study for their portfolio in advance of the summative assessment. This formative work will help particularly to build key skills in research, reading and writing.

The portfolio examines knowledge outcomes 1, 2, 3 & 4 by requiring students to present a selection of case studies of sites and objects that illuminate continuity and change across the Roman world during the period.

The Research Paper aims to assess knowledge outcomes 1, 2, 3 & 4. It aims to familiarise students with the unity and diversity of the Roman Empire through project work on themes of their own choice drawing specific regional case studies.


Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. Where an exam is present, an alternative form of assessment will be set and where coursework is present, an alternative deadline will be set. Details of the alternative assessment will be provided by the module leader.

General Notes

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