HS2425: The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity: From Constantine to Charlemagne

School Archaeology
Department Code SHARE
Module Code HS2425
External Subject Code V400
Number of Credits 20
Level L6
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader Professor Reginald Pringle
Semester Double Semester
Academic Year 2013/4

Outline Description of Module

This module introduces students to the material culture of the Mediterranean world from around AD 300 until around AD 850. The first part will consider the Roman empire from the time of Constantine I onwards, looking in particular at the changes that were taking place in the towns and cities, the countryside, trade and industry, the army and fortifications, and the church. The second part of the module will consider in turn: Italy under the Ostrogoths, Byzantines and Lombards; Visigothic Spain; Vandal and Byzantine Africa; the Umayyad and early Abbasid caliphates in Syria, Palestine and Iraq; Early Muslim Egypt, Ifriqiya and al-Andalus; Visigothic, Frankish and Merovingian Gaul; and the Carolingian empire under Charlemagne.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

To examine both thematically and regionally the material culture of the Mediterranean world in the period of Late Antiquity (c.300-850) in the context of the political and cultural changes taking place in a period which saw the disintegration of the Roman Empire and the development of political and cultural groupings that were to endure into the Middle Ages.

How the module will be delivered

The principal medium will be the illustrated lecture, with one two-hour seminar. Lectures will present primary material, discuss themes, introduce case studies, and provide a broad overview of the material world of Late Antiquity. The seminars will give students an opportunity to consider the main themes of the course in small groups and present their findings to the full class as an oral presentation.

Skills that will be practised and developed

On completion of the module a student should be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding:

 

·         Demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of the material culture (sites, monuments and artefacts) of the Mediterranean world in Late Antiquity (c.300-800).

·         Show familiarity with the sources of evidence and modern interpretations relating to various themes relating to the later Roman Empire, including the development of church architecture, pilgrimage, forts and fortifications, town life, the countryside, trade and industry.

·         Show familiarity with the sources of evidence and modern interpretations relating to cultural change brought about by the influx and settlement of immigrant peoples from outside the former empire in Syria, Palestine, North Africa, Iberia, Italy and Gaul.

 

Intellectual Skills:

 

·         Evaluate and utilize archaeological evidence of various types

·         Assess modern interpretations of the period in the light of the archaeological evidence

·         Synthesize, compare and contrast evidence from different areas

 

Discipline Specific (including practical) Skills:

 

·         Understand the value and relevance of particular classes of evidence

·         Assess the relative value of material and written sources in specific case studies

 

Transferable Skills:

 

·         Write effectively about research problems

·         Talk effectively about research problems

·         Organize effective enquiry into questions and problems

 

 

How the module will be assessed

Assessment will be by one essay (worth 50% of the final mark) and a two-hour exam (worth 50%).

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Written Assessment 50 The Mediterranean World In Late Antiquity: From Constantine To Charlemagne N/A
Exam - Spring Semester 50 The Mediterranean World In Late Antiquity: From Constantine To Charlemagne 2

Syllabus content

Lecture topics:

 

1.     Introduction

2.     Imperial Capitals

3.     Towns and cities

4.     The countryside

5.     Trade and Industry

6.     The Army and fortifications

7.     The Church

8.     Italy under the Ostrogoths, Byzantines and Lombards

9.     Visigothic  Spain

10.  Vandal and Byzantine Africa

11.  Early Muslim Syria, Palestine and Iraq

12.  Early Muslim Egypt, Ifriqiya and al-Andalus

13.  Visigothic, Frankish and Merovingian Gaul

14.  The Carolingian empire

15.  Conclusion.

 

 

Essential Reading and Resource List

 

R. Krautheimer,  Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture (1975).

P. Brown, The World of Late Antiquity (1971).

A. Cameron, The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity (1993).

J.K. Knight, End of Antiquity: Archaeology, Society and Religion AD 235-700 (1999).

Talbot Rice, D. (ed.) The Dark Ages: The Making of European Civilization. London (1965).

G.P. Brogliolo and B. Ward-Perkins (eds.), The Idea and the Ideal of the Town in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (1999).

K.A.C. Creswell, Early Muslim Architecture, 2 vols (1940, 1969).

Ward-Perkins, B. The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization. Oxford (2005).

Wickham, C. Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400–800. Oxford (2005).


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