This module covers the period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, which saw the adoption of Greek culture all over the Mediterranean, first through the kingdoms of Alexander’s successors, and later through the Roman Empire. The new dynasties staked their claims to power through art and architecture, while the cosmopolitan population of this expanded world used art to express their status and cultural identity. In the process Classical Greek art was transformed into a visual language that remains at the foundation of European identity to the present day. The module looks at the artistic legacy of Alexander, the cities and religious sanctuaries built by his successors, the manifestation in art of new attitudes to religion and the community, the impact of non-Greek cultures on Greek art, the spread of Hellenistic art in the Roman Empire, and its afterlife in the modern world.

• demonstrate a knowledge and critical understanding of the art and architecture of the Hellenistic world, and of relevant literary sources.
• recognise stylistic changes and new themes in Hellenistic art and architecture, and relate these changes to wider social, political and economic transformations.
• demonstrate an awareness of social processes such as acculturation, cultural transmission and social mobility, and of how they affected the development of art and architecture in the Hellenistic period.
• demonstrate a knowledge and critical understanding of modern theories and debates relating to Hellenistic art and architecture, and an ability to evaluate the evidence with reference to these debates.
• demonstrate a knowledge of the reception of Hellenistic art since antiquity, and an understanding of how this has affected modern views of the subject.
• demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between textual and material evidence.
• discuss these issues in written work with coherent and logical arguments, clearly and correctly expressed.

10 lectures and 2 seminars; independent study; 1 coursework feedback tutorial

The lectures provide an introduction to a particular topic, establishing the key points of major course themes, identifying important issues, and providing guidance for more in-depth reading. They aim to provide a basic framework for understanding, and 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 seminars provide an opportunity for students to analyse and discuss key issues and topics in the module, and to get feedback on their ideas from the tutor and their peers. Handouts with material for study and suggestions for preparatory reading will be circulated prior to the seminars.

Independent study enables students to familiarise themselves with the primary source material and the most important modern approaches and debates on the subject. A reading list is provided, with guidance on key items of reading for major themes and lecture topics.

Coursework feedback tutorials provide students with an opportunity to get feedback and guidance on all aspects of their written work.

• analysis of a variety of different types of historical evidence, such as literary texts and material evidence
• observation and visual analysis
• assimilating and synthesising complex information and ideas
• critical thinking skills, such as analysing and evaluating evidence, critiquing interpretations or arguments, and challenging assumptions
• constructing and defending arguments based on evidence
• clear, accurate and effective communication of ideas and arguments in writing and in debate
• employing basic skills and conventions in the presentation and use of literary and material evidence
• bibliographic and referencing skills
• contributing to group discussions
• using IT resources effectively
• independent working and time management

The module will be assessed by a 2000-word essay, which will require knowledge and critical deployment of evidence and critical understanding of modern scholarship to answer questions and construct arguments relating to Hellenistic art and architecture.

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.

• the influence on Greek art and architecture of Alexander the Great and of Macedonian culture
• royal power and patronage: art and architecture in the service of the Hellenistic kings
• new attitudes to religion and the gods as manifested in art and architecture
• new developments in sculpture: portraits, decorative sculpture, copies and pastiches
• art in the domestic sphere: wall painting and mosaics
• Hellenistic art in Rome and in the East
• the Hellenistic legacy: Rome and beyond

M. Beard and J. Henderson, Classical Art: from Greece to Rome (2001)

L. Burn, Hellenistic Art: from Alexander the Great to Augustus (2004)

P. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique (1981

J. Onians, Art and Thought in the Hellenistic Age (1979)

J.J. Pollitt, The Art of Rome c. 753 B.C.–A.D. 337: Sources and Documents (1983)

J.J. Pollitt, Art in the Hellenistic Age (1986)

J.J. Pollitt, The Art of Ancient Greece: Sources and Documents (1990)

R.R.R. Smith, Hellenistic Sculpture (1991)

A. Stewart, Faces of Power: Alexander's Image and Hellenistic Politics (1993)

Plus a general historical book on the period, such as:

G.R. Bugh (ed.), Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World (2006)

F. Chamoux, Hellenistic Civilization (2003)

R.M. Errington, A History of the Hellenistic World, 323–30 BC (2008)

A. Erskine (ed.), A Companion to the Hellenistic World (2003)

P. Green, Alexander to Actium: The Hellenistic Age (1990)

P. Green, Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age: A Short History(2007)

G. Shipley, The Greek World after Alexander, 323–30 BC (2000)

F.W. Walbank, The Hellenistic World (1992)

See the module handout for the full reading list.