The course aims to present, in their historical and cultural context, the most significant artistic expressions of a hinge period between classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages for which the historiography of the last century coined the term of Late Antiquity and whose chronological and geographical areas are still the subject of debate and comparison among scholars.

However, it is an era extremely rich in political (the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire; the birth of the Eastern Roman Empire; the affirmation of Islam), religious (the ever-increasing spread of Christianity and its relationship with the persistence of cults and traditions linked to the pagan heritage) and cultural ferments (the meeting between the tradition of classical culture and the new demands that manifested themselves in society), which did not fail to leave a sign in the artistic production of all territories involved, whose common denominator was their economic and cultural relationship with the Mediterranean Sea.

One of the events that most contributed to the political, social and cultural transformations of Late Antiquity was the diffusion of Christianity, which was declared as the state religion starting from the age of Theodosius I with the Edict of Thessalonica.

As regards to the artistic production, the affirmation of the Christian religion on an official level involves the formulation of an architectural and figurative language capable of expressing the demands of the new creed, both in the public and in the private dimension. On the other side of the balance is the culture linked to the pagan tradition, which obviously does not disappear with a wave of the magic wand, but still survives above all in the elite circles of the great aristocratic families, giving life to a conspicuous production of works of art characterized by the recurrence of mythological themes. The complex dialectical relationship established between paganism and Christianity, which has been declined from time to time by scholars in terms of conflict and coexistence, will be addressed and discussed through the deepening of the following topics:

• "Clandestine" Christianity: the domus ecclesiae and the practice of underground burials.
• Pagan and Christian Constantine: patronage in Rome, Constantinople and in the rest of the empire between support for the new religion and maintenance of tradition.
• The fate of temple buildings in late antiquity and the phenomenon of their transformation into churches.
• Sumptuary art objects (silver, ivory, bronze, glass) of the aristocratic elites between the 4th and 6th centuries: expressions of pagan frond or of the patron's paideia?
• The birth of Christian iconography and the absorption of models derived from the pagan tradition.
• The floor mosaics and sculptural furnishings of the large domus and suburban villas: between ostentation of themes drawn from mythology and declarations of adherence to the Christian faith.
• The sign of the times in urban planning: the decline of some types of public monuments in ancient cities and the 'Christian' definition of newly founded cities.
• The fate of the statues: when their destruction is intentional; the re-semantisation of ancient statuary in public places; the application of Christian symbols as a form of exorcism.
• Pagan resistance in the age of Justinian: the closure of the Academy of Athens, St. Sophia of Constantinople and the last pagans of the New Rome.

The student will have to demonstrate basic knowledge regarding the chronological articulation of the different stages of artistic production in Late Antiquity and of the main characteristics of the various stylistic currents thanks to a correct reading and understanding of the textbooks;

must be able to apply the knowledge acquired in such a way as to be able, through appropriate arguments, to compare and possibly correlate monuments and artefacts of different geographic, chronological or client areas;

must demonstrate the ability to develop independent judgments with respect to controversial issues from an attribution or chronological point of view, through the collection and critical examination of the data deemed useful;

will have to demonstrate autonomy and display effectiveness in communicating the notions and concepts assimilated during the lessons and in the study;

will have to refine those learning skills necessary to undertake the study of artistic production subsequent to Late antiquity.
 

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Frontal lessons

Course books

A. Marcone, Tarda Antichità- Profilo storico e prospettive storiografiche, Roma Carocci 2020

A collection of essays relating to the topics covered in the lessons will be made available to students on the Moodle platform. Students will have to choose at least five of them as texts to bring to the exam.

Assessment

The exam will consist of an oral test based on verifying the learning of the study texts; the test will use, through the use of slides projected on the computer, the images contained in the textbooks and power points shown during the lessons.

In order to deserve a sufficient evaluation in the assessment, the student must demonstrate that he has at least assimilated the basic concepts and notions contained in the exam preparation texts and explained in the lessons; rewarding elements for a very good or excellent evaluation will be: the ability to correlate certain components of the program with each other; the demonstration of having understood the different interpretations proposed by scholars regarding specific critical issues; the maturity in knowing how to exercise one's own evaluation with respect to the various problems raised, also drawing on the skills acquired in previous preparation; finally, mastery in the use of specific language and terminology most appropriate to the context.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Individual study

Course books

A. Marcone, Tarda Antichità- Profilo storico e prospettive storiografiche, Roma Carocci 2020
M. David, Archeologia della tarda Antichità, Milano Mondadori 2021.

Assessment

The exam will consist of an oral test based on verifying the learning of the study texts; the test will use, through the use of slides projected on the computer, the images contained in the textbooks.

In order to deserve a sufficient evaluation in the assessment, the student must demonstrate that he has at least assimilated the basic concepts and notions contained in the exam preparation texts; rewarding elements for a very good or excellent evaluation will be: the ability to correlate certain components of the program with each other; the demonstration of having understood the different interpretations proposed by scholars regarding specific critical issues; the maturity in knowing how to exercise one's own evaluation with respect to the various problems raised, also drawing on the skills acquired in previous preparation; finally, mastery in the use of specific language and terminology most appropriate to the context.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.