Meet the Ancient Greeks: Art, Power and Society in a Changing Mediterranean

From the monumental sanctuary of the sacred oracle at Delphi to the royal burials of the Macedonian kings in Vergina, the polis landscapes of Athens and Sparta, and the international cult centre of Delos, the archaeology of the Greek world reveals societies connected to wider Mediterranean networks of trade, ideas, and power.

This module introduces students to the art, literary sources and material culture of the Greek world from the Archaic through the Hellenistic periods, situating visual, literary and archaeological evidence within its social, political, and economic contexts.

Case studies will include sculpture, architecture, painted pottery, and domestic material culture, alongside discussion of gender, household organisation, drama, philosophy, literature and everyday life in cities such as Athens.

Attention will be paid to the relationship between artistic production and expressions of authority, civic identity, and religious practice.

Students will explore how material culture communicates values and beliefs, and how archaeology can illuminate questions of identity and social change in the ancient Mediterranean.

The course emphasises critical engagement with primary evidence and modern scholarly debates, fostering an understanding of the Greek world as dynamic and interconnected.

Learning and teaching

The module will be delivered through ten 2-hour sessions. These sessions will consist of a 1-hour lecture followed by class discussion and group work on specific topics relating to the module.

The discussion and group work will enable students to think critically and contribute to the debates and topics presented during the lectures.

The discussion-led sessions and the lectures will be supplemented by resources available to students via Learning Central.

Syllabus:

1. Introduction: Approaches to Greek Archaeology
2. Architecture and Monumentality
3. Pottery, Painting, and Visual Culture
4. Polis and Civic Space
5. Sculpture and Representation
6. Power and the Built Environment
7. Burials and Social Identity
8. Domestic Space and Everyday Life
9. Rural Landscapes and Economy
10. Greek Communities in the Wider Mediterranean

Coursework and assessment

Formative assessment / feedback will occur on a weekly basis through class discussion and group work.

Assignment 1 (Critical Review): 30% - Exact nature of the task will vary from year to year. 500-700 words. Week 5-6.

Assignment 2 (Essay): 70% - Exact nature of the task will vary from year to year. 1000-1200 words. End of the module.

Reading suggestions

• M.D. Fullerton, Greek Art (Cambridge, 2000)
• R. Osborne, Archaic and Classical Greek Art (Oxford, 1998)
• J.G. Pedley, Greek Art and Archaeology (London, 1993)
• J. Whitley, The Archaeology of Ancient Greece (Cambridge, 2001)

Library and computing facilities

As a student on this course you are entitled to join and use the University’s library and computing facilities. Find out more about using these facilities.

Accessibility

Our aim is access for all. We aim to provide a confidential advice and support service for any student with a long term medical condition, disability or specific learning difficulty. We are able to offer one-to-one advice about disability, pre-enrolment visits, liaison with tutors and co-ordinating lecturers, material in alternative formats, arrangements for accessible courses, assessment arrangements, loan equipment and dyslexia screening.