HS4336: Pots, Poems and Pictures: Using Evidence for Ancient History

School Ancient History
Department Code SHARE
Module Code HS4336
External Subject Code 100298
Number of Credits 20
Level L6
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader Dr Ruth Westgate
Semester Autumn Semester
Academic Year 2014/5

Outline Description of Module

In order to study the ancient world effectively, we have to be able to use a wide range of sources, from literature to inscriptions, archaeology to art. This module introduces students to the different technical and analytical skills they will need for successful evidence-based study of the ancient world at degree level. Students will learn how to analyse and evaluate evidence, including different literary genres, archaeological material, coins, inscriptions, papyri and images. There will be hands-on opportunities to study evidence and discuss it in practical workshops, to evaluate and attempt to reconcile contradictory evidence, and to consider how different versions of the past can be constructed from different interpretations of the evidence. The module will prepare students for confident and independent use of sources in their other Ancient History modules.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

  • observe, describe and analyse literary and archaeological evidence relevant to a range of different periods and topics.
  • evaluate the reliability and value to the historian of different types of evidence.
  • employ basic skills and conventions in the presentation and use of literary and archaeological evidence.
  • select and use different types of evidence in a critical and effective way to construct arguments.
  • synthesise and present various types of evidence coherently and effectively in written reports, with clear and correct expression.

 

 

How the module will be delivered

10 lectures and 10 practical workshops; 1 half-day field trip to Caerleon Roman Legionary Museum; independent study; 1 coursework feedback tutorial

The lectures provide an introduction to the nature of different types of evidence and a basic framework for evaluating and analysing evidence. They should be thought of as a useful starting-point for further discussion and independent study. Slides and, where appropriate, handouts are used to illustrate the material discussed.

The practical workshops and field trip involve ‘hands-on’ examination and analysis of evidence. They enable students to practise and develop their skills in observing, analysing and evaluating different types of evidence, and to get feedback on their ideas from the tutors and their peers. Handouts with material for study will be circulated prior to the workshops.

Independent study enables students to familiarise themselves with the nature and limitations of different types of evidence and the most important modern approaches to interpretation. A reading list is provided, with guidance on key items of reading for each type of evidence.

The coursework feedback tutorial provides students with an opportunity to get feedback and guidance on all aspects of their written work.

 

Skills that will be practised and developed

  • knowledge and understanding of the variety of sources from the ancient world and their survival
  • observational skills, looking critically at texts and artefacts and describing them accurately
  • understanding the sources used by authors and artists in the past, their purpose, and the ways in which genres and bias affect their value as evidence
  • recognising conventions and topoi in literature and art
  • working with translations of original sources
  • dealing with incomplete or fragmentary evidence
  • understanding maps, plans and other forms of data
  • skills in source criticism
  • awareness of ambiguities and different interpretations of the same evidence
  • evaluating and critiquing interpretations of the evidence in secondary works
  • locating evidence relevant to a variety of ancient historical topics in the library, in museum collections and on the internet
  • assimilating complex data and synthesising it effectively in written reports
  • ability to construct arguments through finding, selecting and critically examining a variety of different forms of relevant evidence
  • clear, accurate and effective communication of ideas and arguments in writing and in debate
  • organising data effectively in catalogues, tables, charts and diagrams
  • bibliographic and referencing skills
  • employing basic skills and conventions in the presentation and use of literary and material evidence
  • team-working and contributing to group discussions
  • using IT resources as appropriate
  • independent working and time management

How the module will be assessed

The module will be assessed through a portfolio of short exercises and a 2500-word report analysing a collection of evidence.

The portfolio will consist of a series of short exercises or tests, which will be completed during the workshops. Each exercise will involve answering questions related to the workshop theme, and will thus assess the students’ grasp of the skills that were practised in the session, such as observation, description, classification and decoding inscriptions or coin legends.

The report applies the skills and methods acquired in the module to a specific set of evidence, building on the practical work done in the workshops. Students will be provided with a small collection of evidence relating to a specific topic, including a variety of textual and material sources, along with instructions and some introductory information, and will be asked to write a short report presenting this material in a clear and logical manner, analysing the information that it provides and considering its value (or otherwise) as historical evidence.

Type of assessment

 

%

Contribution

Title

Duration
(if applicable)

Approx. date of Assessment

PO

30

Skills portfolio

 

autumn semester

CW

70

Coursework - analysis of evidence

 

autumn semester

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The opportunity for reassessment in this module

Students who fail the module will normally be expected to resit the failed component(s) in the summer resit period.

 

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Written Assessment 50 Pots, Poems And Pictures: Using Evidence For Ancient History N/A
Written Assessment 50 Pots, Poems And Pictures: Using Evidence For Ancient History N/A

Syllabus content

·        different types of evidence for ancient history

·        literary texts: transmission and translation; genre, purpose, audience and bias; sources used by ancient writers

·        archaeological evidence: preservation and recovery; excavation and survey; sites and artefacts

·        inscriptions, papyri and other documents

·        coins

·        visual evidence

·        conventions and topoi in literature and art

·        the fragmentary nature of ancient sources

·        presenting and analysing data: catalogues, tables, charts, quantitative methods

·        combining textual and material evidence

·        modern representations of the past

 

 

Essential Reading and Resource List

Essential reading and resource list

A. Barchiesi and W. Scheidel (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Roman Studies (2010)

E. Bispham, T. Harrison and B.A. Sparkes (eds.), The Edinburgh Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome (2006)

G. Boys-Stones, B. Graziosi and P. Vasunia (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies (2009)

M. Crawford, Sources for Ancient History (1983)

C.W. Hedrick, Ancient History: Monuments and Documents (2006)

S. Hornblower and A. Spawforth (eds.), The Oxford Classical Dictionary (4th edition, 2012)

N. Morley, Writing Ancient History (1999)

D.M. Schaps, Handbook of Classical Research (2010)

G. Shipley, J. Vanderspoel, D. Mattingly and L. Foxhall(eds.), The Cambridge Dictionary of Classical Civilization (2006)

 

Background Reading and Resource List


Background reading and resource list

See the module handout for the full reading list.

 

 


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