Ancient and Medieval Worlds

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• developments in the classical and early medieval world through the following themes: 1. Geography - changing urban and rural landscapes 2. Belief - the role of religion and the divine 3. Identity - changing concepts of ethnicity, citizenship and status 4. Power - the nature of authority: personalities, factions and constitutions 5. Exchange - cultural connectivity and commerce
• demonstrate your ability to locate, appraise and critically assess written and material sources of evidence to explore these themes in detail, by means of an annotated bibliography of specific site (assignment 1) and an essay discussing one of the course themes (assignment 2).

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Construct a coherent argument
• Consider the evidence of the past presented by standing buildings as well as below-ground data
• Deal with material and written evidence and its application to historical questions
• Evaluate, critically appraise and synthesise different sources of evidence
• Appreciate the interaction of different disciplines
• Locate and reference sources of evidence relevant to particular cases and questions.
• Understand the nature of culture contact and change

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Write a coherent and grammatical assignment
• Manage a structured work programme
• Work on an individual assignment
• Apply data to a specific question

Part One of this module will introduce you to the primary materials used to study the Ancient and Medieval worlds, such as archaeological materials, ancient texts, buildings and iconography, using a series of case- studies to illustrate the potentials and problems with these. These will be followed by group presentations in which you will present a range of evidence for a specific site.

In Part Two we will explore the changing societies and cultures of the region, using a chronological framework, from the rise of the polis through to the emergence of the Medieval kingdoms and the development of the Islamic world. In the final part of this module you will look at the question of how we conceptualise the Mediterranean in the Classical and post-Classical period, and how this has responded to contemporary political contexts.

Topics covered on this module normally include:

• The geography of the Ancient and Medieval World
• A very brief history of the Ancient and Medieval World
• Sources and Materials (Archaeological Finds, Images, Classical Texts, Buildings, Excavation Reports)
• Rise of the Polis
• Classical Greece
• Hellenistic empires
• Roman Republic
• High Empire
• Late Antiquity
• After Rome in the East and in the West
• The fragmentation of the Islamic world
• The Byzantine and Carolingian Empires
• Unity and Diversity: Key themes in the classical and medieval world
• The impact of the classical and medieval worlds on contemporary society

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching will principally be undertaken through two weekly lectures, with some additional seminars.

During the module you will make a brief presentation about a case study site which will form the basis for Assignment 1.

You are expected to do 150 hours of study for this module, approximately 10 hours per week. This will consist of 20 hours of lectures plus 5 seminars. You should expect to do at least 1 hour of follow-up reading for each lecture, 4 hours preparatory reading for each seminar, 35 hours preparation for each of the 2 assignments, and 14 hours preparation for the presentation.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Brown, P. (1978). The Making of Late Antiquity. Harvard: Harvard University Press.

Garnsey, P. and Saller, R. (1987). The Roman Empire: economy, society and culture. London: Duckworth.

Shipley, G. (2000). The Greek World after Alexander, 323-30BC. London: Routledge.

Osborne, R. (1996). Greece in the Making, 1200-479BC. London: Routledge.

Sparkes, BA (ed). (1998). Greek Civilisation: an introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.

Cunliffe, B. (2008). Europe between the Oceans. Yale University Press.

Milwright, M. (2010). An Introduction to Islamic Archaeology. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Alcock, S.E. and Osborne, R. (2007). Classical Archaeology. Oxford: Blackwell.

Cameron, A. (1993). The Mediterranean world in Late Antiquity. London: Routledge.

Kennedy, H. (1986). The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the Sixth to the Eleventh Century. London/NY: Longman.

Bowersock, G., Brown, P. & Grabar, O (2000). Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World. London/Cambridge (Mass): Harvard University Press.

Whitley, James (2003). The Archaeology of Ancient Greece. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External