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2020/2021

Social and Economic Ancient History

Code: 100339 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500241 Archaeology OT 3 0
2500241 Archaeology OT 4 0
2500243 Classics OT 3 0
2500243 Classics OT 4 0
2500501 History OB 2 1
2503702 Ancient Studies OB 3 1
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Jordi Cortadella Morral
Email:
Jordi.Cortadella@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Borja Antela Bernardez
Isaias Arrayas Morales

Prerequisites

There are no specific prerequisites, although it is recommended that interested students have a basic understanding of Ancient History.

Objectives and Contextualisation

The course will focus on the analysis of social processes and economic systems generated in the Middle Eastern and Greco-Roman worlds. In addition to addressing the social and economic elements of the Middle Eastern states, as well as Greek and Roman, plural and constantly evolving, will analyze the impact that had the commercial and military expansion led by them in the their respective geographical areas of action, dealing with specific case studies.

At the end of the course, the student must acquire a basic knowledge of the main social and economic structures of both the Middle Eastern and Greco-Roman worlds, as well as be able to analyze, process and interpret any additional material. , both primary and secondary sources (bibliography), demonstrating a first assimilation of the basic principles of historical research methodology.

Competences

    Archaeology
  • Contextualizing and analysing historical processes.
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Managing the main methods, techniques and analytic tools in archaeology.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethic relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
    Classics
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Identifying and assessing the main historical, socio-political, scientific, literary and cultural landmarks of the Greco-Roman world.
  • Interpreting a work of art in the context in which it was developed and relating it with other forms of cultural expression.
  • Obtaining information from the study of written Greek and Latin sources, that allow to access several aspects of the realia (sociocultural reality of the ancient world).
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must demonstrate they know the evolution of the artistic imagery of the antiquity.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Summarising the current debate about the place of the classic Western tradition.
  • Summarising the main arguments of the epistemological and methodological debates in classic studies and the main research techniques.
    History
  • Critically assessing the fonts and theoretical models in order to analyse the different historical periods.
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Mastering the basic diachronic and thematic concepts of the historical science.
  • Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
    Ancient Studies
  • Apply the main methods, techniques and instruments of historical analysis.
  • Be able to express oneself orally and in writing in the specific language of history, archaeology and philology, both in one’s own languages and a third language.
  • Recognise the impact of some important aspects of the ancient world in contemporary culture and society.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Understand and interpret the evolution of ancient societies in the Mediterranean – from Egyptian civilisation to the disbanding of Western imperial Rome – through analysis of the political, historical, social, economic and linguistic factors.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Accurately defining and explaining an artistic object with the specific language of art criticism.
  2. Accurately describing a relevant monographic aspect of the ancient world.
  3. Analyse processes of acculturation among the peoples of classical antiquity.
  4. Analyse the historical processes that lead to armed conflict.
  5. Analyse the key issues that help to approach the study of historical phenomena from a gender perspective.
  6. Analysing in written form a medieval modern or contemporary literary work, relating it with a classical text, and applying the methodology of comparative literature.
  7. Analysing the recycling of classical motifs in new contexts.
  8. Applying both knowledge and analytical skills to the resolution of problems related to their area of study.
  9. Applying the historical, institutional, cultural and literary knowledge to the commentary of texts.
  10. Assessing the reception in the West of the thought and history of the classical world.
  11. Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
  12. Carrying out oral presentations using appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
  13. Communicating in your mother tongue or other language both in oral and written form by using specific terminology and techniques of Historiography.
  14. Connecting an artistic imagery with other cultural phenomena within its period.
  15. Contextualising the historical processes and critically assessing the sources and theoretical models, with special regard to prehistory and the ancient and medieval world.
  16. Coordinating work of interdisciplinary nature with other teams.
  17. Critically analysing informational speeches, especially in relation to ideology and ethnocentric and sexist bias.
  18. Critically assessing the models explaining the ancient times.
  19. Criticising the film adaptations of the classical mythological legends.
  20. Describe the economic, social and political structures of the classical societies.
  21. Describing the economic, social and political structures of classical societies.
  22. Describing the economic, social and political structures of the Middle Ages.
  23. Detecting and extracting historical and cultural relevant data from ancient sources.
  24. Developing the ability of historical analysis and synthesis.
  25. Effectively expressing themselves and applying the argumentative and textual processes of formal and scientific texts.
  26. Engaging in debates about historical facts respecting the other participants' opinions.
  27. Enumerating concepts of classic culture that have survived to the present society.
  28. Enunciating a discourse (drawing up an article or oral presentation) about the complex myth-ritual and its cultural and social implications.
  29. Enunciating a written or oral discourse, clearly explaining an issue or literary motif of the Greek or Latin world inherited by the Western culture.
  30. Explain the main historical events in Ancient Egypt and the Greco-Roman world.
  31. Explain the main historiographic debates on antiquity.
  32. Identifying and explaining scenes, motifs, gods and other mythical characters in their artistic representations though antiquity.
  33. Identifying main and supporting ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  34. Identifying the Greco-Roman sources that have inspired artists and literary people through history.
  35. Identifying the artistic imagery, placing it into its cultural context.
  36. Identifying the characteristic methods of Archaeology and its relationship with the historical analysis.
  37. Identifying the context of the historical processes.
  38. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  39. Identifying the results of the projection of the classical world to the Western culture on various levels and in several eras and territories.
  40. Identifying the specific methods of History and its relationship with the analysis of particular facts.
  41. Identifying the specific methods of history and their relationship with the analysis of particular facts.
  42. Identifying the transmission channels of Greco-Roman culture through the history of Western civilisation.
  43. Integrate the study of ancient Catalonia into general historical discourse and point out its singularities.
  44. Interpreting and analysing documentary sources.
  45. Interpreting historical texts in relation to archaeological contexts.
  46. Interpreting material sources and the archaeological record.
  47. Interpreting the current disciplinary developments and the connection of the classical studies with the social disciplines that share their historical development, and the current interdisciplinary tendencies.
  48. Interpreting the material and cultural context of transmission of ancient texts.
  49. Knowing the main historiographical debates concerning the Middle Ages.
  50. Mastering the Universal Ancient History.
  51. Mastering the diachronic structure of the past.
  52. Mastering the relevant languages to the necessary degree in the professional practice.
  53. Organising and planning the search of historical information.
  54. Preparing an oral and written discourse in the corresponding language in a proper and organized way.
  55. Reading historical texts written in several formats.
  56. Recognising and implementing the following teamwork skills: commitment to teamwork, habit of cooperation, ability to participate in the problem solving processes.
  57. Recognising the importance of controlling the quality of the work's results and its presentation.
  58. Reconstructing the artistic outlook of a particular cultural context.
  59. Reflecting on their own work and the immediate environment's in order to continuously improve it.
  60. Relate the historical texts to their archaeological contexts.
  61. Relating elements and factors involved in the development of historical processes.
  62. Relating the contemporary myths with the classical antiquity.
  63. Selecting primary and secondary sources of information according to the various needs that arise in the development of a work.
  64. Show expertise in the reading of historical texts written on various media.
  65. Solving problems autonomously.
  66. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  67. Transmitting the results of archaeological research and clearly communicating conclusions in oral and written form to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  68. Using computing resources of the area of study of history.
  69. Using epigraphic texts as historical and literary sources.
  70. Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.
  71. Using the characteristic computing resources of the field of History.
  72. Using the main computing and data management tools, as well as the information and communication technologies in the specific field of the classical studies.
  73. Using the specific interpretational and technical vocabulary of the discipline.

Content

1: Presentation of the subject.
2: Economy and society in the Ancient World. Economic concepts.
3: Middle Eastern societies.
4: City - Empire.
5: Power - Palace.
6: Subsistence - House.
7: Mediterranean Colonizations.
8: From economic hegemony to politics (1). The civitas.
9: From economic hegemony to politics (2). The province.
10: Currency - Trade.
11: Negotium.
12: Otium.
13: Forms of dependence.
14: Power systems.
15: Christianity.

Methodology

- Attendance to theoretical sessions led by the teacher.
- Comprehensive reading of texts and interpretation of maps, graphics, archaeological documents.
- Carrying out reviews, works and analytical comments.
- Personal study.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Comprehensive study of texts and documents of antiquity 5.5 0.22 17, 9, 8, 15, 21, 23, 64, 42, 48, 44, 46, 60, 55, 69
Theoretical classes 35 1.4 8, 18, 15, 49, 21, 22, 20, 23, 51, 50, 31, 37, 41, 44, 61, 55, 73, 69
Type: Supervised      
Tutorial 15 0.6 9, 13, 49, 31, 32, 53, 59, 55
Type: Autonomous      
Personal study. Comprehensive reading of texts and interpretation of documents 45 1.8 17, 65, 18, 11, 24, 23, 64, 44, 53, 59, 55, 63, 72, 71, 10
Writing reviews, papers and analysis 15 0.6 8, 28, 11, 13, 16, 24, 52, 54, 25, 12, 70, 33, 53, 26, 66, 63, 67, 73, 72, 71

Assessment

The evaluation of the subject will be based on the following specific exercises.

Exam

Written test composed of a question (to choose between two proposed questions) of a reflective nature to be solved within the time of a class (90 minutes) from the data presented throughout the semester. (40%)

Bibliographic Activity

Search for articles related to a specific topic (chosen by the teacher) in a list of journals in the newspaper library. (20%)

Follow-up Conference

Brief written summary that will determine the understanding of detail around the contents explained in one of the conferences that will take place during the semester organized by the area of Ancient History in the Faculty of Letters. (10%)

Primary Sources Activity and Reading Comprehension

This activity consists of two parts:

a) Collection of the primary sources that appear referenced in the article proposed by the teacher (10% of the final grade).

b) Reading and written presentation of the main points of the proposed article (20% of the final grade).

At the time of completion/delivery of each assessment activity, the teacher will inform (Moodle, SIA) of the procedure and date of revision of the grades.

The student will be classified as Non-evaluable when he has not delivered more than 40% of the evaluation activities.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carriedout through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Bibliographic Activity 20% 10 0.4 7, 65, 11, 16, 52, 70, 53, 66, 59, 61, 55, 72, 71, 10
Examen 40% 1.5 0.06 17, 3, 8, 29, 18, 13, 15, 49, 2, 21, 22, 20, 24, 23, 51, 50, 54, 31, 30, 25, 37, 41, 32, 33, 47, 44, 45, 61, 55, 73, 69
Follow-up Conference 10% 3 0.12 17, 28, 18, 15, 52, 54, 31, 25, 33, 26, 66, 61
Sources and Reading Comprehension Activity 30% 20 0.8 17, 4, 5, 6, 35, 9, 65, 11, 16, 19, 1, 24, 23, 64, 54, 27, 12, 37, 42, 36, 41, 40, 39, 34, 38, 43, 48, 44, 46, 45, 53, 66, 58, 56, 57, 61, 62, 60, 14, 55, 63, 67, 72, 71, 68, 69

Bibliography

GENERAL WORKS.

- COTTERELL, A., Los orígenes de la civilización europea, Crítica, Barcelona 1986.

- DUBY, G. (ed.), Atlas histórico mundial, Debate, Madrid 2001.

- GÓMEZ ESPELOSÍN, F.J., Diccionario de Términos del Mundo Antiguo, Alianza, Madrid 1999.

- HOWATSON, M.C. (dir.), Dictionnaire de l'Antiquité, Robert Laffont, París 1993.

- KINDER, H.; HILGEMANN, W., Atlas Histórico Mundial, Istmo, Madrid 1999.

- ROLDÁN HERVÁS, J.M. (dir.), Diccionario Akal de la Antigüedad hispana, Akal, Madrid 2006.

- SPEAKE, G. (ed.), Diccionario Akal de Historia del Mundo Antiguo, Akal, Madrid 1999.

 

MIDDLE EAST / EGYPT.

- COTTERELL, A. (ed.), Historia de las civilizaciones antiguas, vol. I, Crítica, Barcelona 1984.

- GELB, I.J., Historia de la escritura, Alianza, Madrid 1993.

- GONZÁLEZ-WAGNER, C., El Próximo Oriente Antiguo, Síntesis, Madrid 1993.

- GRIMAL, N., Historia del Antiguo Egipto, Akal, Madrid 1996.

- KEMP, B.J.: El Antiguo Egipto. Anatomía de una civilización, Crítica, Barcelona 1992.

- KLIMA, J., Sociedad y cultura en la Antigua Mesopotamia, Akal, Madrid 1983.

- MARGUERON, I.-C., Los mesopotámicos, Cátedra, Madrid 2002.

- LIVERANI, M., El Antiguo Oriente. Historia, sociedad y economía, Crítica, Barcelona 1995.

- PADRÓ, J., Historia del Egipto faraónico, Alianza, Madrid 2001.

- REDMAN, C.L., Los orígenes de la civilización, Crítica, Barcelona 1990.

- SERRANO DELGADO, J.M., Textos para la historia antigua de Egipto, Cátedra, Madrid 1993.

- TRIGGER, B.G. et alii, Historia del Egipto Antiguo, Crítica, Barcelona 1997.

 

GREECE / ROME.

- BERNET, A., Les chrétiens dans l'Empire Romain, Perrin, París2003.

- BRUNT, P.A., Conflictos sociales en la República romana, Buenos Aires 1973.

- COTTERELL, A. (ed.), Historia de las civilizaciones antiguas, vol. II, Crítica, Barcelona 1984.

- ÉTIENNE, R., La vida cotidiana en Pompeya, Temas de Hoy, Madrid 1992.

- FINLEY, M.I., El mundo de Odiseo, FCE, México 1961.

- GRIMAL, P., El siglo de Augusto, Buenos Aires 1970.

- GRIMAL, P., La formación del Imperio romano, Siglo XXI, Madrid 1990.

- GÓMEZ ESPELOSÍN, F.J., Historia de Grecia Antigua, Akal Textos, Madrid 1995.

- GUZMÁN GUERRA, A.; GÓMEZ ESPELOSÍN, F.J., Alejandro Magno, Alianza, Madrid 2004.

- HARRIS, W.V., Guerra e imperialismo en la Roma republicana, Siglo XXI, Madrid 1989.

- HUMBERT, M., Institutions politiques et sociales de l'Antiquité, Précis Dalloz, París 1986.

- LANE FOX, R., The Classical World, Penguin, Londres 2006.

- LOPEZ BARJA, P., Historia de Roma, Akal Textos, Madrid 2004.

- MOSSÉ, C., Historia de una democracia: Atenas, Akal, Madrid 1987.

- MARROU, H.-I., Historia de la educación en la Antigüedad (2 vols.), Akal, Madrid 1985.

- NICOLET, C., Roma y la conquista del mundo mediterráneo (2 vols), Labor, Barcelona 1982.

- ROLDÁN HERVÁS, J.M., Citerior y Ulterior, Istmo, Madrid 2001.

- ROUGÉ, J., Les institutions romaines, Armand Colin, París 1969.- SYME, R., La Revolución Romana, Taurus, Madrid 1989.

- VV. AA., Historia del mundo clásico a través de sus textos (2 vols.), Alianza, Madrid 1999.