Module CLAS3881: Crafters, Traders, Patrons, Sailors: the Archaeology of Art Production

Department: Classics and Ancient History

CLAS3881: Crafters, Traders, Patrons, Sailors: the Archaeology of Art Production

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To look at a combination of archaeological and historical sources that give evidence for ancient craft production in the ancient Greco-Roman world.
• To consider ancient art as a component part of ancient Greek and/or Roman social and economic history, from the commissioning of ancient artworks, to the operation of workshops, through to the place of art in larger economies of scale.
• To introduce students to the study of maritime history (in the context of transporting and shipping ancient artworks), and to consider the material and written sources that inform our understanding in this area.
• To consider closely the materiality of ancient material culture, and to begin to think about how this informs an understanding of how an object was made, by whom and where.
• To learn about different techniques used in the documentation of material culture, and to evaluate, through the production of a reflective portfolio essay, on the effectiveness of different techniques of learning about ancient crafting.
• To develop students' skills in analysing material and historical sources and to test these skills by producing a summative essay.

Content

• In this module, we will look at the evidence for how different ancient objects today considered ‘artworks’ were made, e.g. pottery and statues.
• By introducing students to the concept of the chaîne-opératoire, we will look in detail at every stage of production, from the commission of an ancient artwork, to sourcing the materials, to the work of a crafter or artists, through to the reception of an ancient artwork by its patron.
• This module will allow students to explore the idea that archaeological and historical evidence can be used in combination to answer specific questions about art history.
• Hands-on workshops will introduce students to different manual and digital methods used in documenting and interpreting material culture, relevant to the study of ancient pottery and statues.
• This module will put ancient art into a broader social and economic historical context, by focussing on trade logistics and transport/shipping of ancient art, and the role of ancient emporia and portside markets in early economic networks.
• Specific subjects covered may include topics such as: from idea to artwork - the chaîne-opératoire; the forms and shapes of pottery; making pottery; using pottery; re-using pottery; the art and iconography of pottery; workshops, potters and painters; statues as objets d’art; mining and stone cutting; crafting statues; statues in (and out of) sanctuaries; architectural sculpture; stone-crafting beyond statues; shipbuilding and construction technology; evidence for ancient seafaring; establishing maritime trade; early Greek emporia; networks and scales of economy; mass production and the art of the individual.

Learning Outcomes

• Detailed knowledge of the crafting and production process for ancient Mediterranean art.
• Detailed knowledge of Greek and/or Roman economic history, relevant to the production, shipping and trading of objects considered as ancient art.
• Awareness of some manual and digital techniques used in the lab and in the field for recording and interpreting ancient material culture.

• Capacity to access, discuss and engage critically with a combination of different material and historical sources which inform our understanding of ancient craft production in its wider socio-economic context.
• Ability to make proper use of the basic reference tools and bibliography.

• The ability to assess and compare a range of different data types and methodologies.
• The ability to evaluate the effectiveness of different analytical techniques and to present that judgement in a synthetic portfolio essay.
• Ability to pursue independent research on an aspect of the course and to produce well-evidenced, clearly expressed, and original arguments in written form.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Weekly lectures that will provide evidence for the crafting of a piece of ancient artwork at each stage of the chaîne-opératoire.
• 4 hands-on seminars/workshops, introducing students to different methods and techniques that can be used to document, interpret and display material and visual culture, where topics might include: object photography, photogrammetry, illustration, virtual reality.
• 2 discussion-based workshops, to review the techniques introduced in practical's and to prepare the portfolio write-up.
• Formative assessments will allow students to develop both key methodological skills and wider analytical skills.
• Summative assessment will be (i) a 2,000-word portfolio that will contain a write-up of two of the four practical workshops (c.1,000 words), and a reflective statement (c.1,000 words) evaluating the usefulness of different techniques for engaging with ancient material culture; (ii) an essay of 2,500 words, selected from a list of thematic and analytical questions.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University