Undergraduate Ancient Rome Summer School

Transcription

1 Undergraduate Ancient Rome Summer School Wednesday 5 Monday 17 September 2018 Course information This intensive 12-day programme of visits to the sites, monuments and museums of ancient Rome and its vicinity, is accompanied by experts in the field and integrated with a series of evening lectures. It provides a stimulating introduction to the topography of the city, its architecture and art, the latest discoveries and new developments in archaeological approaches. Although no specialized knowledge is assumed, the course is intended for undergraduates in Classics, Ancient History, Classical Archaeology and related subjects. If it is oversubscribed, precedence will normally be given to students about to enter their final year of study. See for more information about the course and the BSR. Cost and accomodation The cost of the course is 975 to be paid by international bank transfer by 31 May 2018 and includes: Accommodation at the BSR in shared study-bedrooms All meals (except Saturday dinners and Sunday lunches) Local transport, excursions and entrance fees This fee does not include the cost of travel to Rome, for which participants must make their own arrangements, in addition to providing their own travel insurance. A refund less a

2 100 administration fee will be given to students who notify us of withdrawal by 15 July No refund will be made for withdrawals after this date. We strongly recommend that students have cancellation cover as part of their travel insurance policy. How to apply Applications should be ed to: The selection of participants will be made by the Course Director in consultation with the BSR on the basis of merit. Applications must be made through your university which must guarantee that the course fee will be paid. Your application must include: 1. a cover letter detailing your interest in Rome, explaining why you wish to participate in the Summer School and what you hope to gain from it 2. an academic curriculum vitae with full contact details (telephone and ) and details of University courses/modules undertaken with results 3. one letter of academic reference (referees may references directly to segretaria@bsrome.it References must be received by the closing date and it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this) 4. an essay on any subject relating to the Classical world. It must be an original work, not exceeding 10,000 words, and including footnotes or endnotes and a full bibliography. The Gladstone Memorial Trust offers a prize worth 300 towards the cost of a place on the Summer School to the student who writes the best essay. Essays will be judged by the Faculty of Archaeology, History and Letters of the British School at Rome. The deadline for receipt of applications is Monday 7 May Applicants will be notified whether they have been accepted for the course by late May. Bursaries are available for cases of particular financial need. Applicants should submit a statement of their financial circumstances together with their course application (one page

3 of A4 maximum, detailing annual income and expenditure and the reason for applying). The referee s letter should confirm the need and that all the appropriate applications for assistance have been made with the university. The British School at Rome gratefully acknowledges the support of the Cambridge Classics Faculty, the Craven Committee of the Faculty of Classics, Oxford University, the Gladstone Memorial Trust and the Society for Promotion of Roman Studies. Course Report 2017 Dr Robert Coates-Stephens Course Director The 2017 BSR Ancient Rome Summer School ran from 4-16 September and was directed by Ed Bispham (Brasenose College Oxford) and Robert Coates-Stephens (Cary Fellow, BSR). Stefania Peterlini oversaw administrative matters, including site permits, and the hostel arrangements were in the hands of Christine Martin. Sixteen students attended, from the universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Nottingham, the Open University, Oxford, Reading, Swansea and Warwick. Most were classicists, some with experience of archaeological field work, and there was a sprinkling of students following joint honours in modern and ancient history. The Gladstone prize was awarded to Fae Clark, of Fitzwilliam College Cambridge. As in past years, the course received generous financial assistance from the Roman Society, the Faculty of Classics at Cambridge, the Craven Committee and the Gladstone Memorial Trust. The course programme is neither rigidly chronological nor topographical, but rather thematic (the full programme is attached). Over the past fifteen years or so we have found that this method proves most successful for introducing ancient history and literature students (generally more familiar with the texts than the material evidence) to the complexities and richness of the city of Rome. The approach focuses on the social, economic, political and religious activities

4 which constituted life and death in the ancient city. As the course develops, the group crisscrosses the city, seeing the monuments from differing viewpoints and in different guises, thus encouraging a more profound understanding of the city s topography. The thematic approach, and the variety of sites encountered, elicited the approval of the students: We were (pleasantly) surprised as participants that we recognised monuments when thematic strands overlapped and the tangible nature of liminal spaces was demonstrated in this way. I felt it worked very well as it kept each day engaging and new. The timetabling worked well as the early starts ensured we could enter the sites at their least busy, limiting the level of distraction and allowing us to concentrate. This year s group was an energetic one, and there were no complaints regarding the course s intensity: I found the amount of site-visits and walking perfectly manageable, and thought the decision to end days in museums a good one... I also liked the thematic arrangement of the timetable, which needs no apology given the multilayered nature of Rome s monuments. Site visits form the basis of the teaching, and are the course s main attraction: Going to sites with permits like the upper level of the Colosseum was an unparalleled experience in being able to appreciate the local topography and perhaps even gain a more scenic experience of what it would have been like, but also out of the way places like the Servian Walls, or the Domitianic mint beneath the 10 th -century church, were amazing at demonstrating the immense concentration of Roman sites in the city. BSR permissions officer Stefania Peterlini facilitated special access to such jealously guarded sites as the Tomb of the Scipios, the Houses of Augustus and Livia, the Curia, and the Temple of Romulus. Colleagues in the Soprintendenze generously allowed the group to enter S. Maria Antiqua and the Mithraeum and subterranean areas of the Baths of Caracalla, and Monica Ceci of Roma Capitale again offered a bravura tour of the excavations of the Sacred Area of S. Omobono. BSR visiting scholar Stephen Heyworth shared his expertise of Latin on a visit to Ostia s Statio Cunnilingiorum, and kindly offered an extra-curricular trip to the National Museum at Palazzo Massimo. The course directors provided a series of ten lectures, which served to introduce the following day s itinerary and provide background on such topics as Roman construction and decor (thus

5 affording an opportunity to explore the BSR s collection of coloured marble samples assembled by John Ward-Perkins and Amanda Claridge). The series efficacy was acknowledged by the students: Particularly having a lecture for the following day s theme was really helpful in establishing a basis with which to view the following day s notes. The tactile element of marble types was immensely useful!. Wherever possible, both on site and in the more relaxed surroundings of the BSR dining room, the course tutors endeavoured to answer questions and discuss students future research. This year s group proved particularly talkative, and all were agreed that the dialogue was free and engaging: Both Rob and Ed provided great support for us, beyond anything I expected. They were more than willing to answer your questions, and discuss your own research projects. They also provided great company and conversation and I thank them for that. Rob and Ed were wonderfully ready to answer questions, and capacious in their knowledge. I particularly appreciated how relaxed they were, encouraging a serious appreciation of the sites under discussion, yet casual and friendly in the tone they fostered. As ever, the BSR staff provided exceptional support. Librarians, cleaners, cooks, waiting and administrative personnel were as friendly and helpful as ever, thus fostering a congenial environment for social interaction, as well as for the course s more academic pursuits. Their efforts were greatly appreciated not only by the course tutors but also by the students: The food was stellar, and mealtimes were an enjoyable highlight of the day. What a wonderful dining room, what polite and friendly catering staff. From offers of advice as to how to get to the airport, to a friendly introduction to the School as I walked in, hot and weary, I found a great effort was made to ensure my stay was unworried and agreeable. Arrangements on site were also found satisfactory, although the larger-than-usual number of early starts (due to some permits being possible only at 9.00am) led to the reasonable suggestion that breakfast might begin a little earlier in future. As in previous courses, precedence was given to students entering their final year. In this way, first-years have the opportunity to re-apply (as had one of this year s participants), and thirdand fourth-year students are able to bring valuable knowledge to their on-site study, going on to integrate their new discoveries with final year essays and dissertations. This year s comments

6 suggested that the decision was a sound one, with much emphasis placed on how topics introduced in first year had been clarified and reinforced, and new avenues opened for future research. The past week or so on the course has been tremendous full-on, yet interesting and very enjoyable... I felt that by the end of the trip I had a good command of the city s basic topography, ancient and modern, something invaluable for study in my third year and hopefully beyond for a masters, as well as for future visits to the city. I hope to return to the BSR at some point. I have enjoyed how the content and organisation of the whole course has struck the perfect balance between informality and sincerity... The diversity of both topics and participants has ensured that all my different modules from art to literature have been enriched. I am extremely grateful and impressed by how smoothly this course is organised and run. Robert Coates-Stephens BSR Cary Fellow & City of Rome Postgraduate Course Director Sample course itinerary Day 1 Students arrive orientation meetings (course outline, administration etc) Day 2: THE TIBER Forum Boarium: Temples of Hercules & Portunus / Area Sacra di S. Omobono / Arch of Janus / Arch of the Argentarii / S. Maria in Cosmedin & crypt (Ara Maxima of Hercules) / Monte Testaccio / Porticus Aemilia / Tiber Lecture: The Fora (Ed Bispham) Day 3: FORUM ROMANUM & IMPERIAL FORA

7 9.30 Forum Romanum: Introduction, from central area, Curia, Atrium Vestae / 12.30/13.00 Museum of the Imperial Fora & Markets of Trajan Lecture: The Triumph (Ed Bispham) Day 4: THE TRIUMPH OF THE REPUBLIC Pantheon / Area Sacra of Largo Argentina / Theatre of Pompey / Porticus of Octavia / Temples of Apollo Sosianus & Bellona / Theatre of Marcellus / Three Temples of Forum Holitorium / Circus Maximus / Meta Sudans / Arch of Constantine / Forum Romanum: Via Sacra: Arches of Titus, Augustus and Septimius Severus / Mamertine prison No lecture Day 5: CAPITOLINE MUSEUMS Lecture: Principes (Ed Bispham) Day 6: PRINCEPS, DOMVS AND RES PVBLICA 9.30 Palatine: Houses of Augustus & Livia, Domus Flavia, Vigna Barberini, Domus Severiana / Forum of Augustus / Columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius / Montecitorio Obelisk / Mausoleum of Augustus / Ara Pacis Lecture: Death, Burial and Afterlife (Robert Coates-Stephens) Day 7: CITIES OF THE DEAD AND LIVING Leave 8.20 Via Appia Antica: 9.30 Tomb of Caecilia Metella / Circus of Maxentius and Mausoleum of Romulus / Aurelianic Walls & Porta Appia / Tomb of the Scipios / Porta Maggiore & Tomb of Eurysaces / Nymphaeum of Alexander Severus / Arch of Gallienus (Porta Esquilina) / Clivus Suburanus Lecture: Introduction to Roman Ostia (Ed Bispham/Robert Coates-Stephens) Day 8: FEEDING ROME: OSTIA Coach leaves 8.40

8 Ostia Antica / Isola Sacra No lecture Day 9: FREE DAY Lecture: Horti Romani (Robert Coates-Stephens) Day 10: HORTI ROMANI Servian Walls at Termini / Auditorium of Maecenas / 11.30/12.00 Montemartini Museum, Via Ostiense FREE AFTERNOON (you may wish to visit a museum or catacomb) Lecture: Materials in Construction and Decoration (Robert Coates-Stephens) Day 11: HINTERLAND Coach leaves 8.40 Villa of Hadrian, Tivoli No lecture Day 12: DOMUS AUREA Lecture: Panis et Circenses (Ed Bispham) Day 13: PANIS ET CIRCENSES 9.30 Baths Caracalla Mithraeum OR Mithraeum of Palazzo Barberini / Baths of Caracalla / Colosseum, including visit to the substructures & 2 nd floor balcony Lecture: Rome in Late Antiquity (Robert Coates-Stephens) Day 14: TRANSFORMATION

9 9.30 Forum Romanum: S. Maria Antiqua, Temple of Romulus, Basilica of Maxentius, Temple of Venus and Rome / S. Clemente / Arch of Dolabella / Temple of Claudius / domus under SS. Giovanni & Paolo / Museum of Crypta Balbi / S. Maria in Trastevere Day 15: COURSE ENDS