ICCS Spring 2017
Ancient City Tentative Schedule
This is a team-taught, double credit course combining history and material culture (art,
architecture, epigraphy, etc.). Generally, the course meets three times a week with Monday
morning lectures and Tuesday/Thursday site or museum visits. It also includes an extended
excursion to Sicily and one to Campania (see syllabus for relevant dates). The schedule is
subject to change, so you will need to pick up a weekly syllabus each Friday from the
credenza beside the Faculty Office. This schedule will give details for the following week.
Faculty
Professor Christopher Gregg, Professor in charge (CG), [email protected]
Professor Evelyn Adkins (EA), [email protected]
Professor Brandon Jones (BJ), [email protected]
Professor Grace Gillies (GG), [email protected]
Each faculty member posts office hours on the Faculty Office door; you can also make
appointments to meet with one or more of us at a time. We will respond to emails within 24
hours, but for an email received after 10pm, you will likely not get a response until the
following morning or afternoon, depending on the daily schedule.
Course Themes
➢ Understanding the reciprocal nature of culture and urban development
➢ Learning the topography of Ancient Rome and other key sites which are significant to
our understanding of classical culture
➢ Appreciating the impact of historical, political and social events on the physical
environment of Rome and other ancient cities
➢ Using an interdisciplinary approach involving text and material culture to
reconstruct the ancient city-scape
➢ Applying the ideas of cognitive mapping to the preserved remains of sites
➢ Attempting to identify and recreate the ancient urban environment in a
scholarly manner to better understand the ancient city
➢ Developing verbal and written communications skills for an academic context
Graded Course Requirements
Attendance and Active Participation
Site Report
Site Paper
Weekly Quizzes
Final exam (Written and Site)
25%
15%
15%
20%
25%
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Grading Scale:
A+ (100-97) A (96-93) A- (92-90) B+ (89-87) B (86-83) B- (82-80) C+ (79-77)
C (76-73) C- (72-70) D (69-60) F (59 and below)
Important: Attendance and Participation
A perfect score (25%) requires no absences (extreme circumstances left to the discretion of the
P.I.C), punctuality at all classroom meetings and site visits, attentiveness at all lectures in the
classroom and on site, and completion of all assignments (including readings) on time as
determined by the syllabus or verbal instructions from the faculty. Active participation (asking
questions, insightful comments, engaging in discusion, following instructions on site, etc.) and a
generally positive attitude towards your peers, the faculty and staff of the Centro will
contribute to a high score on this portion of the grade. The lack of such behavior will have the
corresponding effect. Any unexcused absence from a field trip or part of a field trip will result
in an automatic 2 point deduction from this portion of your grade. Lack of attention on site (if
two or more faculty agree it is egregious) will also result in a 1 point deduction per occurrence.
Any violation of site etiquette (details to be discussed separately) will also be grounds for
deduction of points as deemed appropriate by the P.I.C in conjuction with the remaining
faculty.
Site Reports and Site Papers
Each student will present one report on a site or relevant topic during a fieldtrip day. These
may occur in Rome, on the Sicily or Campania trips, or other excursions. Topics will be assigned
during the first week of the semester. Following the report, the student will have seven days to
complete a paper based on their research developed during preparation for the site report. A
detailed discussion of the requirements for each of these elements, report and paper, will be
handed out during orientation. It is important to realize from the start that this combination of
presentation and written research constitutes a total of 30% of your grade in the double credit
Ancient City course. Each student will be assigned a faculty advisor to mentor their progress in
both parts of the assignment. Further information is provided at the end of the this syllabus.
Quizzes
There will be approximately 9 quizzes over the course of the semester (changes in schedule
may alter the final number). These weekly quizzes will normally be held at the start of lecture
on Monday mornings and will run 15-20 minutes. They will cover the material from the
previous week and may include questions, maps, images or site diagrams from lecture, site
visits, and reading assignments. Students should prepare by making sure that they have
completed all the readings, carefully reviewed their notes and handouts from the preceding
week. Focus on the major themes, ideas, monuments and points of discussion.
Each quiz will have a value of 50 points. At the end of the semester, the lowest quiz grade for
each student will be dropped. The cumulative quiz grade, which counts 20% of the final City
Course grade, will be calculated by taking the overall number of points earned and dividing it by
the total possible. So, if we have nine quizzes with one dropped for everyone, there will be 8 x
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50 points = 400 total possible points. If you earned an overall 380 points on your quizzes, your
final quiz average would be 95% (380/400 = .95).
Autoptic Exercises
One of the many benefits of studying at the Centro is the amount of time spent not in the
classroom but on site. This gives us the opportunity to emphasize reading and interpreting an
archaeological site in ways that are simply not possible in a classroom setting—a process that
we call a site autopsia or autopsy. Over the course of the semester, the faculty will train you to
explore, analyze and recognize various structures, urban features, and city design elements.
There will be autoptic practice exercises woven throughout our fieldtrips and, at the end of the
semester, there will be a site exam as well as a traditional written in-class exam to act as a
capstone for the course.
Required texts
Aicher, Peter J., Rome Alive. A Source-Guide to the Ancient City, vol. 1. Wauconda, Illinois:
Bolchazy-Carducci, 2004. ISBN 086516473-8
Boatwright, M., D. Gargola, and R. Talbert, The Romans from Village to Empire, 2004/2012,
ISBN 978-0195118766/ISBN 978-0-19-973057-5. The syllabus is keyed to both the 1 st and
2nd editions. NB: This book is available digitally for most electronic devices.
Claridge, A. Rome, An Oxford Archaeological Guide, 2010, 2nd edition. ISBN 978-0-19-954683-1.
NB: This book is available digitally for most electronic devices.
Ramage, N., and A. Ramage, Roman Art: Romulus to Constantine, 6th edition, 2014, ISBN13 978-0205988952. NB: This latest edition is available as an e-textbook through some
vendors (e.g. Amazon) for purchase or rental.
Suggested texts (not required)
A good travel guidebook to the city of Rome or, more generally, Italy will be useful if you plan to
explore on your own, especially for material later than the classical period. If you are looking
for a detailed work that covers art, architecture and sculpture, The Blue Guide: Rome by Alta
Macadam is an excellent option. If you want something less scholarly but still informative,
there are a host of guide books, including Lonely Planet, the DK Eyewitness guides, Rick Steves’
series and others.
Rome City Maps
There are a lot of options for maps of Rome: digital, laminated, annotated with bus maps, etc.
As a durable, general-purpose map (that does not include bus routes), the StreetWise Map of
Rome is a good choice. We strongly encourage you to purchase a map either before you depart
for Rome or as soon as you arrive in Italy. This is so that you feel comfortable exploring the city
on your own, and so that when we have a rendezvous point in the city as a group, you will be
able to arrive easily and on time.
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If you do not want to carry a hard copy map, there are also some good public
transportation/mapping apps for smart devices; two of the most useful are “Muoversi a Roma”
and “Citymapper.“ These apps allow you to find out when public transportation is arriving at
stops, route trips and other handy features. Wifi, however, is not reliable in the city, so you
may have to use data if you depend on an app rather than a hard-copy map. If you are going to
use any app, make sure that you have an international data plan for your device; without one,
charges will be excessively steep.
Weekly Readings
The readings are intended to provide a solid foundation for the lectures and site visits.
Assignments are listed at the start of each week on the schedule. Ideally, all readings should be
done before Monday lectures. If you need to prioritize the sequence of the readings, we
suggest starting with the history (Boatwright, Gargola & Talbert), then Claridge, Ramage and
Aicher. The expectation, however, is that each student will keep up with all of the readings.
Lectures and site presentations will often assume that the readings have been completed and
that the student has that material in their memory. Information from these assignments may
appear on weekly quizzes.
Notes on using the textbooks:
Aicher: numbers refer to sections/passages, not to page numbers. Many of the monuments we
will visit have corresponding passages in Aicher, but you are assigned to read only a select few
that are intended to amplify your understanding or appreciation of a site. You should consult
Aicher if you are presenting a site or monument in Rome since the primary sources may help
considerably in your research.
Boatwright, Gargola & Talbert (BGT): this overview of Roman history is a wealth of detailed
information. It is not expected that you will recall every name or event. Focus on the persons
and actions that the text stresses as being crucial to the unfolding of Roman history. Also look
for the larger themes in a given period (e.g. Hellenization in the later Republic or increasing
authoritarianism in the Flavian period). Either edition of the book is acceptable since the
differences are primarily a matter of organization and the addition of 4 th century material that
goes beyond what we will cover; the weekly readings have been keyed to both 1 st and 2nd
editions.
Claridge: the book is nearly comprehensive in its treatment of the monuments and
archaeological sites of the city of Rome. Most sites that we visit in the city are covered in
Claridge, but you will only be asked to read select entries. These reflect either important or
complex sites the understanding of which is critical to the Ancient City course or, alternately,
sites that we will not be spending much time on but are useful as background information. The
distinction between these two categories will be largely self-evident. If your site presentation is
in Rome, you probably want to start with Claridge to get a good idea of the topic; of course, you
will want to go far beyond Claridge in your research as well. Claridge can also be useful for
review if you need clarification on the details of a site.
Ramage: in addition to extensive illustrations of many of the monuments and artworks that we
will see, the Ramage text is valuable in revealing major trends in portraiture, style and other art
historical categories. It can be useful in many ways: to review information discussed on site, to
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fill in gaps in your art historical knowledge, and to track broad themes or arcs of development
in artistic media.
Weekly Class Schedule for the Ancient City Course:
Monday mornings: 9:00-12:00, classroom lectures at the Centro with occassional field trips
Tuesday: all-day field trips, 8:00-5:00 (some days may have later returns due to traffic)
Thursdays mornings: 8:00-12:30 field trips
There may be the occassional Wednesday afternoon guest lecture; these will be announced the
week before if not earlier.
Nota Bene:
A detailed weekly schedule (for the following week) will be available each Friday morning for
pickup from the credenza in the main hall next to the Faculty Office. This detailed weekly
schedule will include readings, lecture topics, site visits and other activities with as much
information on timing as we can provide. If there is any discrepency between this Master
Syllabus document and the weekly schedule, the weekly schedule is to be followed. It will be
the most up-to-date version of our schedule. It is your individual responsibility to keep up with
the weekly schedule; if you have questions, please ask a faculty member for clarification.
Week 1
Readings for the Week:
Aicher: Section 1 (The Site of Rome) and 3 (The Foundation of Rome)
Boatwright, Gargola & Talbert (henceforward BGT): Chapter 1, through “Greeks and
Phoenicians in the Central Mediterranean”
Claridge: “How to use this guide,” p. xv; entry on S. Clemente
Ramage: Introduction
January
Monday 23rd Classes Begin: Orientation to the Centro and the Neighborhood
T 24
Geology, Stratigraphy and Landscape in the centro storico
W 25
Orientation to the Study Collection and Library at the American Academy in Rome
(AAR)
Th 26
Villa Giulia Museum site visit
F 27
Symposium: An introduction to Italian Wine Culture
Sa 28
Mandatory Meeting Regarding Student Visas
Week 2
Aicher: Theater of Pompey (sections [=s.] 87.11-14); the Boat of Aeneas (s. 118); The Great
Altar of Hercules (s. 119 Commentary and 119.1)
BGT: Chapter 1, “Rise of Cities” to chapter end; Chapter 2
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Claridge: entries on Theater and Porticus of Pompey, 239, Tiber Island, 257; Archaic Republican
Temples (S. Omobono), 282; Republican victory-temples, 241
Ramage: Chapter 1, “Etruscans and Forerunners”
M 30
Morning Lectures
Quiz 1
1). Lecture: Historical Introduction to the Etruscans (BJ)
2). Cognitive Mapping (CG)
3). Obelisks in Rome
T 31
EXCURSION: Etruscan sites, Tarquinia & Cerveteri
February
Th 2
Topography of Rome in the Republic
Fr 3
Last day to drop/add courses at the ICCS
Week 3
Aicher: Roman Forum (s. 21.1-3); The Black Stone (s. 25); Temple of the Deified Julius Caesar (s.
43.1); the Lupercal Cave (s. 59)
BGT: Chapters 3, through Senate, and Chapter 4
Claridge: entries on Senate House (Curia), 71; Temple of Saturn, 83; Vicus Iugarius, 84; Spring
and Pool of Juturna, 98; House of the Vestals, 107
Ramage: Chapter 2, “The Roman Republic”
M6
AM Lectures:
1) Rome from Foundation to Middle Republic (BJ)
2) Patronage and Benefaction: How Rivalry Shaped the City (EA)
3) Roman religion (CG)
Quiz 2
T7
EXCURSION: Alba Fucens
Th 9
Roman Forum and Palatine 1
Week 4
Aicher: Republican Walls (s. 4.2); The Pomerium (s. 6 Commentary and s. 6.1, 3, 7); The
Triumph (s. 11)
BGT: Chapters 5 and 6
Claridge: entry on Republican City Walls, 396
Ramage: review “Wall Paintings” and “Mosaics” in Chapter 2
M 13
AM Lectures:
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1) Rome from the Middle to Late Republic (BJ)
2) Roman Architecture: Concrete (CG)
Quiz 3
T 14
EXCURSION: The Latin Hill Towns
Th 16
Palazzo Massimo Museum visit
Fri 17-Sat 18 Ravenna Excursion
Week 5
Aicher: Baths of Agrippa (s. 88.1-4); Horologium of Augustus (s. 94.3); Ara Pacis (s. 95.1-2);
Mausoleum of Augustus (s. 96.13); Theater of Marcellus (s. 102.5); Naumachia (s. 70.4)
BGT: Chapters 8 and 9 (skim Chapter 7)
Claridge: entries on Forum of Augustus, 177; Altar of Augustan Peace, 207; Aqua Virgo, 222
Ramage: Chapter 3, “Augustus and the Imperial Idea”
M 20
AM Lectures:
1). Augustus’ Rise to Power (BJ)
2). Augustan Imagery and Ideology (CG)
3). Augustus and the City of Rome (GG)
Quiz 4
T 21
Augustan Rome
Th 23
Museo delle Terme
Week 6
Aicher: The House of Augustus (s. 62.1, 3-5); Fire of Nero (s. 66.2, 4-5); Nero’s Golden House (s.
68.1-2); Flavian Amphitheater/Colosseum (s. 70.10-11)
BGT: Chapters 10 and 11 through “Domitian”
Claridge: entries on Houses of ‘Augustus’ and ‘Livia”—Temple of Apollo, 135; Nero’s Golden
House, 326; Meta Sudans, 307
Ramage: Chapter 4 “The Julio-Claudians” and Chapter 5 “The Flavians” through ‘Flavian Palace’
M 27
AM Lectures:
1) Dynastic Succession: From Tiberius to Domitian (BJ)
2) Food and Dining (EA)
Quiz 5
T 28
Roman Forum and Palatine 2
March
W1
Sicily Trip Orientation (afternoon, time to be determined)
7
Th 2
Julio-Claudian and Flavian Rome
Week 7
March 4 (Saturday)-12 (Sunday)
Sicily Trip
A separate daily schedule will be provided prior to departure.
Week 8
March 12 (Sunday)-19 (Sunday)
Spring Break
Week 9
Aicher: Forum of Peace (s. 75.3-4); Forum of Nerva (s. 76.4); Argiletum and Subura (77.6);
Forum of Trajan (78.2)
BGT: Chapter 11, “Nerva” and “Trajan”
Claridge: entries on Forum of Nerva, 174; Temple-Forum of Peace, 171; Basilica and Column of
Trajan, 184, 186
Ramage: Chapter 6, “Trajan, Optimus Princeps”
M 20
AM Lectures:
1) Nerva, Trajan, and the High Empire (CG)
2) Education and the Writing Habit (BJ)
Quiz 6
T 21
The Imperial Fora
Th 23
EXCURSION: Isola Sacra Necropolis and Portus
Week 10
Aicher: Pantheon (s. 90.2, 5-6); Temple of Isis and Serapis (s. 91 Commentary and sources);
Mausoleum of Hadrian (s. 97. 2, 9, 12)
BGT: Chapter 11, “Hadrian” through end of chapter
Claridge: entries on Piazza Navona-Stadium of Domitian, 234; Pantheon, 226; Mausoleum of
Hadrian, 410
Ramage: Chapter 7, “Hadrian and the Classical Revival”
M 27
AM Lectures:
1) Hadrian and the Antonines (EA)
2) Reading the Roman House (prep for Campania) (CG)
Quiz 7
T 28
EXCURSION: Hadrian’s Villa and Tivoli
W 29
Orientation meeting for Campania trip (afternoon, time to be determined)
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Th 30
Campus Martius in the High Empire
Week 11
BGT: Chapter 3, ”Rome and Central Italy” to chapter end
Ramage: Chapter 5, ‘The Written Record: Death of Pliny the Elder’ through chapter end
April 1 (Saturday)-8 (Saturday)
Campania Trip
A separate daily schedule will be provided prior to departure.
Week 12
Aicher: Baths of Caracalla (s. 130.1-4); the Capitoline Hill (s. 9 Commentary and 9.4, 9)
BGT: Chapter 12, “Septimius Severus” to end of chapter
Claridge: entries on Arch of Constantine, 308; Baths of Caracalla, 357; Baths of Diocletian, 391
Ramage: Chapter 9, “The Severans” and Chapter 10, “The Soldier Emperors”
M 10
AM Lectures:
1) The Pax Augusta Collapses: Severans and Soldier Emperors (CG or BJ)
Quiz 8
T 11
Third Century and Late Antique Rome: Severans, Constantine and Early
Christianity
Th 13
Later Campus Martius and Capitoline Hill/Capitoline Museum
Week 13
Aicher: Aventine Hill (s. 121 Commentary and sources)
BGT: Chapter 12 through “Commodus”
Claridge: entries on the Pyramid of Cestius, 397; Monte Testaccio, 403
Ramage: Chapter 8, “The Antonines”
Explore the home page of www.ostia-antica.org and take a look at the 3 Computer
Reconstruction videos (these can be found on the left-hand side of the homepage third
down under the heading [Video pages])
M 17
AM Lectures:
1) Tetrarchy, Constantine and the Rise of Christianity in Rome (EA)
2) Post-classical Rome (CG)
Quiz 9
T 18
EXCURSION: Ostia Antica
Th 20
Monte Testaccio and the Aventine Hill
Week 14
Aicher: The Aurelian Walls (s. 5 Commentary and sources)
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BGT: Chapter 13
Claridge: entries on The beginning of the Via Appia, 356; Appia Gate, 369; Villa of the Quintilii,
434
Ramage: Chapters 11, “The Tetrarchs,” and 12, “Constantine and the Aftermath”
M 24
Vatican Museum Visit: no classroom lecture
T 25
EXCURSION: The Via Appia and Suburbium
Th 27
Museo Centrale Montemartini
Friday 28
Last Day of Classes
Week 15: Exam week, Monday May 1st to Friday May 5th
The exact schedule and timing of exams will not be announced until later in the semester.
When considering your departure from the Intercollegiate Center/Rome, you should assume
that you will be free to leave, at the earliest, on the evening of the last day of exams which is
Friday, May 5th.
Exams for the City Course (dates and times to be determined)
City Course: Written Exam
Autoptic Exam: morning site visit
Site Report Topics (tentative)
Each student should meet with their assigned faculty advisor well in advance of his/her site
report for consultation. Throughout the process of Report and Paper, students are encouraged
to seek advice and guidance from all the faculty members as they do their research, prepare
their report and finalize the paper.
Rome and Environs
Temple of Vesta
Curia
Temple of the Magna Mater
Nile Mosaic at Palestrina
Sanctuary/Cult of Diana at Nemi
Fasti Praenestini (Palazzo Massimo)
Horologium of Augustus
Mausoleum of Augustus
Porticus of Octavia
Laudatio Turiae at Terme Museum
Syrian gods/Eastern religions in Rome
Arch of Titus
Temple of Venus and Roma
Forum of Julius Caesar
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Forma Urbis (Severan Marble Plan) of the Templum Pacis
Markets of Trajan
Maritime Theater at Hadrian’s Villa
Serapaeum-Canopus at Hadrian’s Villa
Mausoleum of Hadrian
Insula of Diana at Ostia/Apartment living in the Roman world
Latrines/Roman diet
Column of Marcus Aurelius
Circus of Maxentius/circus games
Tomb of Caecilia Metella
Arch of Septimius Severus in the Forum Romanum
Sicily Trip
Greek Theater at Taormina
Arethusa Spring at Syracuse
Athenian Expedition against Syracuse
Altar of Hieron II
Temple of Olympian Zeus at Akragas (Agrigento)
Quarries at Cave di Cusa
Phoenicians Tophet at Motya (child sacrifice)
Campania Trip
Appian Way Cliff Cut/Roman road system
Lake Avernus
Sibyl at Cuma
Eumachia Building at Pompeii
Odeon at Pompeii
Samnite House at Herculaneum
Mithraeum at Capua
Site Report
Advisor Consultations
Each student will be provided with a faculty advisor for the site report and paper. You
should plan to meet with your advisor at least once prior to your site report. Your
advisor may request a bibliography or annotated bibliography during this preliminary
process.
Handout
 Relevant plans, diagrams or other visual comparanda
 Working bibliography (minimum of 4 sources)
 Important terms, names or dates
 May include brief bullet points of information, but be wary of including too much
text
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Student handouts must be turned into your faculty advisor 2 days before your site
report if it is not scheduled for the Sicily or Campania trip. For those trips, your
handout must be turned in 5 days before the departure date.
Oral Report
 The report itself should strive to give the basic, relevant information on your
topic
 The report should also attempt to explain the importance of the topic to the
larger discussions and themes of the Ancient City course
 Talks should be approximately 10 minutes long with the expectation of
questions from both faculty and peers
 Since time is limited and some of the speaking environments may include
distractions like traffic or crowds, preparation and practice are essential to
the successful report
 Each student will receive a graded critique for the Site Report from the
faculty; it will include suggestions for the next phase of the research, the Site
Report Paper (see below)
Site Report Paper
The paper should
 be between 7-10 pages, double spaced, 1 inch margins on A4 (Italian standard)
paper
 draw from a minimum of 5 scholarly sources (books, journal articles,
reputable online resources—Note: Wikipedia is not an acceptable source for this
project)
 include one primary Greek or Latin source in translation; the reference can apply
directly to your topic or provide context for understanding your topic. An
inscription or other epigraphic text will count as a primary source.
 include appropriate footnote references for your source material
 follow footnote and bibliography forms in the American Journal of Archaeology
format (http://www.ajaonline.org/submissions/references )
 include relevant images (as appropriate) that illustrate key points with captions
that identify them and their source
 draw from both the Centro library and the American Academy library which offer
good monographs and some journals while JSTOR or other online databases will
provide a wide range of scholarly articles
The paper is not intended to be simply a book report style recitation of your site
presentation; rather, it should seek to create a narrative in which you further explore
through research of primary and secondary sources a specific aspect of your topic. The
paper may cover some of the basic information provided in your site report, but it must
also expand that information as defined by an organizing thesis for the paper. This new
information may either be additional material on the interpretation, history or function
of your topic that was not included in the site report, or it may be a comparison
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between your topic and a similar structure/object/idea. For example, if your topic is a
building, you may want to compare it to a similar building at another site that allows
you to explore how your primary topic is distinctive or how it fits a pattern or tradition.
Due to the varied nature of the topics, it is not possible to create a one-size-fits-all
description of expectations. To assist in navigating the assignment, each student will
have a faculty advisor. As you work on developing the concept of your paper, you
should have at least one consultation with your faculty advisor. Please do not hesitate
to ask about any questions or concerns that you have.
Site Report Papers are due within 7 (seven) days after the presentation of your Site
Report, except in the case of presentations given in Sicily or Campania. For Sicily
reports, your papers are due Monday, October 31st; for Campania reports, your papers
are due Monday, November 28th. The relatively quick turn-around time means that you
will likely want to write the paper as you are preparing for the on-site report.
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