ARA2091 : Archaeologies of the Roman Empire: The Roman World from Augustus to Justinian
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Professor Mark Jackson
- Lecturer: Professor Rob Collins
- Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
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.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 35 | 1:00 | 35:00 | Preparation (summative) 5 short written assignments (7 hours for each artefact/building) |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 6 | 1:00 | 6:00 | Practice (formative) writing for the written assignment (about an artefact/building) |
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Lecture materials online (1 hour per week). Counts as contact hours. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Lectures in person (1 hour lecture per week) |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 55 | 1:00 | 55:00 | Research for the project (5 hours per week) |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 10 | 0:30 | 5:00 | Skill building non-synchronous tests (regnal dates, places, terminology, epigraphy) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Seminars with staff |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 33 | 1:00 | 33:00 | Research and reading related to lecture material (3 hours per week) |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 33 | 1:00 | 33:00 | Research and seminar preparation-based activities (3 hours per week) |
| Total | 200:00 |
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 Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2 | M | 25 | 1000 word (5 x 200-word descriptions of artefacts/buildings) |
| Research paper | 2 | A | 75 | 2500 word research paper |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 2 | M | 1 x 200-word description of an artefact or building to develop skills and prepare for portfolio |
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.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- ARA2091's Timetable