Etruscan and Ancient Roman Art and Archaeology

The course will bring the students to understand the complex origin of Central Italian culture where Rome and the Etruscans have played an important role. For the Etruscans, one of the most interesting cultural groups in the Mediterranean basin, their place in history, geography and cultural context will be stressed. Their artifacts and interrelationships with other peoples in Italy will be examined in the period in which their civilization developed from protohistorical times (12th-9th cent. BC) to the integration of the Etruscan culture with the dominant Roman culture (1st cent. BC). A series of field trips will be organized, ranging from the natural caves called the "Tane del Diavolo" (den of the Devil), where traces of prehistoric men have been found, to the famous necropolises of Tarquinia and Cerveteri, the Umbrian settlements of S. Erasmo, the perfectly preserved roman city of Carsulae (the number of field trips will be based on time availability). Archaeology as a science will be discussed, presenting old and new aspects of this discipline.

Topics covered include: Geography of ancient Italy; Chronology and origins of the Etruscans, their culture and the Italic populations from the orientalizing to the Hellenistic period; Romanization: the contribution of the Etruscan culture to Roman civilization; the Etruscan language; Private life of the Etruscans; Archaeology as a science, definition and objectives; Archaeological discoveries and the birth of archaeology; Archaeological surveying: aerial photography and remote sensing; The stratigraphic dig: principles and techniques; The dig as destruction and reconstruction; Rescue archaeology.