This version of the course guide is provisional until the period for editing the new course guides ends.

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Classical Archaeology

Code: 106862 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2504611 Archaeology OB 2

Contact

Name:
Esther Rodrigo Requena
Email:
esther.rodrigo@uab.cat

Teachers

Pau De Soto Cañamares

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

No prerequisite required


Objectives and Contextualisation

The objectives of the second year (with 60 credits of compulsory basic training) are to provide the student with
basic training in archaeology, history and other social disciplines, and to familiarize them with
historical-archaeological subjects that will be developed in subsequent courses. The subject has as its content
the exposition of the basic principles of historical-archaeological research applied to the field of the classical
period, understood as the historical period that covers the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. The contributions
of instrumental methodologies and analytical techniques to the historiographical debates that the discipline has
addressed will be considered. The main discoveries and points that have raised the most controversy from the
research of the different historical periods will be studied. The contents include the contributions from the
different areas of provenance of the information and the empirical tests from which the hypotheses are drawn
up.
Specifically, the training objectives of the subject are:
1) Analyse the field of knowledge of Classical Archaeology, from its origins to the present

2) To provide the student with a global view of the subjects and fields that are part of what today is called
Classical Archaeology
3) Reflect on the traditional link between Classical Archaeology and other disciplines (History, History of Art,
Classical Philology, Archaeometry...)


Competences

  • Contextualizing and analysing historical processes.
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • 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 ethic relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • 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.

Learning Outcomes
1. Apply the techniques and instruments of archaeological analysis to study ancient material remains.
2. Applying both knowledge and analytical skills to the resolution of problems related to their area of study.
3. Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources
(databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
4. Carrying out oral presentations using appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
5. Describe the main typological characteristics of town centres in Greco-Roman antiquity.
6. Effectively expressing themselves and applying the argumentative and textual processes of formal and
scientific texts.
7. Explain the contexts of historical processes in classical antiquity.
8. Identify basic types of Greek, Roman and Iberian coins and relate them to their political and cultural
context.
9. Identify different types of Greco-Roman pottery and relate them to their political and cultural context.

10. Identifying main and supporting ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
11. Identifying the characteristic methods of Archaeology and its relationship with the historical analysis.
12. Identifying the context of the historical processes.
13. Identifying the specific methods of History and its relationship with the analysis of particular facts.
14. Identifying the specific methods of archaeology and their relationship with the historical analysis.
15. Interpreting and analysing documentary sources.
16. Interpreting material and documentary sources.
17. Mastering and identifying the history of immediate environment.
18. Mastering the Universal Ancient History.
19. Mastering the diachronic structure of the past.
20. Mastering the processes of change produced in Prehistory.
21. Mastering the relevant languages to the necessary degree in the professional practice.
22. Recognising the importance of controlling the quality of the work's results and its presentation.
23. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
24. Transmitting the results of archaeological research and clearly communicating conclusions in oral andvwritten form to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
25. Using specialized knowledge acquired in an interdisciplinary context when debating.
26. Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.
27. Using the specific interpretational and technical vocabulary of the discipline.

 


Learning Outcomes

  1. CM12 (Competence) Reflect on sex and gender based inequalities from the historical and archaeological analysis of ancient and medieval times, which were ignored by written documentation but can be recognised in material culture and studied by archaeology.
  2. KM19 (Knowledge) Understand the main and diverse theoretical (epistemological and ontological) and methodological debates in the context of the study of ancient and medieval societies.
  3. KM20 (Knowledge) Recognise and practice basic classifications of the archaeological record in the laboratory with collections of pieces from archaeological sites from antiquity to medieval times.
  4. KM21 (Knowledge) Explain ancient and medieval historical processes from a critical and reflective perspective, analysing how archaeological evidence can question current theoretical frameworks.
  5. KM22 (Knowledge) Understand the processes of social formation in the ancient and medieval periods and from the perspective of geographical, social and gender diversity to build inclusive historical accounts that avoid taking androcentric and Eurocentric perspectives.
  6. SM21 (Skill) Develop critical and reflective archaeological thought from the inference and generation of ancient and medieval archaeological information.
  7. SM22 (Skill) Consider the relationship between the archaeological record and the historical processes of ancient and medieval times in their respective contexts and social complexity.
  8. SM23 (Skill) Reflect on and propose hypotheses about ancient and medieval societies based on the archaeological record obtained in surveys and/or excavations.

Content

BLOCK 1. The field of study of Classical Archeology from the beginning to the present
1.1. The concept of classical archaeology: the Greco-Roman world
1.2. Geographical and temporal framework. The sources for the study of the classical world: material remains
and written sources
1.3. Current perspectives and the future of Classical Archaeology. The example of the Catalan Institute of
Classical Archaeology. The importance of cities in the classical period.
BLOCK 2. Urban problems in the Greek world
3.1 The functions of the Greek polis and the basic elements of its material structure - the emergence of cities
3.2 Water supply in the old city
3.3 Waste management in the old city
3.4 Poliorcetics
3.5 Greek cities in the archaic period.
3.6 Hippodamus of Miletus and the development of functional urban planning.
3.7 The evolution of the city in the Hellenistic period. Monumental urbanism and the expansion of the
Hippodamian city model.
BLOCK 3. Evolution of the city in the Roman period
3.8 The Roman city: formation process, functionality and basic elements
3.9 Pomerium and the necropolises
3.9 Colonies and Roman roads
3.10 Mediterranean ports
BLOCK 4. The organization of urban public space and its buildings.
4.1 The agora and the forum as spaces for civil, administrative and religious life
4.2. Religious buildings and sanctuaries in the Greco-Roman world
4.3 Buildings and recreational spaces: the Theater in the Greco-Roman world
4.3.1. The Greek Hippodrome versus the Roman Circus
4.3.2. The specificity of the Roman amphitheater
BLOCK 5. Territorial organization in the Greco-Roman world
5.1. The organization of the territory in the Greek world.
5.1.1 The case of colonial foundations in the West: Sicily, Magna Graecia and the Gulf of Leon
5.1.2 Colonial foundations in the Black Sea

5.2. The organization of the territory in the Roman world. The evolution of territorial planning models:
The Italian Peninsula and the beginning of cadastral operations and territorial planning
The planning of the territory in the western provinces, the organization of the ager and the rural space
5.3. The formation and organization of a provincial capital in the West: the examples of Mérida and Narbonne

 


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Classroom activities 32 1.28 CM12, KM19, KM21, KM22, SM21, SM22, SM23, CM12
Visit to an archaeological site: the classical city (Empúries and Tarragona) 10 0.4 SM21, SM22, SM23, SM21
Type: Supervised      
Work tutoring and individual case study 5 0.2 CM12, KM19, KM20, KM21, SM21, SM22, SM23, CM12
Type: Autonomous      
Individual work exercise on an archaeological site from the classical period 35 1.4 CM12, KM19, SM21, SM22, CM12
Study of class materials and mandatory complementary readings 35 1.4 CM12, KM19, KM21, KM22, SM21, SM22, SM23, CM12

1. Directed training in the classroom
Theoretical exhibitions will be offered to introduce and analyze the most relevant aspects of Greek and Roman
archaeology. These contents will be complemented with PowerPoint sessions, images, explanatory tables,
documentaries and interactive websites. Exercises will also be proposed (readings, comments, analysis of
examples, etc.) and some debates will be proposed. Some sessions will end with oral presentations of the
cases prepared by the students, which will be accompanied by questions and evaluations with the participation
of the students.
2. Archaeological visit
The teaching staff of the subject will illustrate the content presented in the classroom during the visit to the
classical archaeological sites of Catalonia and will highlight its specificities in accordance with the geographical
and historical-archaeological context to which it belongs.
3. Individual training
Following the guidelines presented in the classroom, the student will prepare the periodic exercises and
prepare a small case study on a topic of their choice. You will have to consult databases and bibliographic
catalogues. It will formulate the results in a document that will be delivered accompanied by maps, images and
bibliography. The preparation criteria will be indicated in the classroom.
Obviously, the student will have to deepen and expand the subject taught using the basic or recommended
bibliography to clarify and expand the contents of the program. Doubts or queries can be addressed to the
teaching staff during office hours or through the virtual space.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be
reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Individual work exercise on an archaeological site from the classical period 30 26.5 1.06 CM12, KM19, KM20, KM21, KM22, SM21, SM22, SM23
Theory written test A 35 3.25 0.13 CM12, KM19, KM21, KM22, SM21, SM22, SM23
Theory written test B 35 3.25 0.13 CM12, KM19, KM21, KM22, SM21, SM22, SM23

This subject/module does not incorporate single assessment.
1. Theory test A (35%) - (Esther Rodrigo and Pau de Soto)
Evaluation system:
The concepts taught in class will be evaluated based on a topic-type question - of analysis and synthesis and,
optionally, also of critical reflection - to choose from two options.
There will be a third question of short definitions of the concepts worked on in class and on the mandatory
readings that students will have to work on independently

2. Theory test B (35%) - (Esther Rodrigo and Pau de Soto)
Evaluation system:
The concepts taught in class will be evaluated based on a topic-type question - of analysis and synthesis and,
optionally, also of critical reflection - to choose from two options.
There will be a third question of short definitions of the concepts worked on in class and on the mandatory
readings that students will have to work on independently
There will be a test on the geography and chronology of the ancient world
3. Bibliographic research work (30%): individual work on a city
Evaluation conditions:
- There will be a single call.
- Failure to complete 10% or more of the assessment activities will result in a no-show.
- If the grade for one or more of the assessment activities is lower than 5 out of 10, the different activities will
not be averaged and the subject will not be approved.
- The late delivery of assessment activities without prior agreement with the teaching staff will deduct 10% of
the grade for each day of delay.
*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.


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Software

No specific programming is required


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 2 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PCAM) Field practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PCAM) Field practices 2 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 Catalan first semester morning-mixed