Welcome to the course website for the City of Rome, CLAS 74400 (ART 82000 & MALS 74500), at the Graduate Center, CUNY

Instructor: E. Macaulay-Lewis

Course Description

Rome was the pre-imminent political, economic, social and cultural heart of the Mediterranean, much of Europe, and large swaths of the Near East from the first century BCE until the early fourth century CE when Constantinople was established. In order to understand many aspects of the Roman Empire’s history, economy, cultural mores, literary output and artistic developments, it is essential to understand the capital. Thus, this seminar explores the city of Rome from 753 BCE to 410 CE primarily through an in-depth investigation of the art, architecture and archaeology of the capital itself.  Much of the art and architecture associated with the Roman Empire originated in Rome (e.g., imperial portraiture system and historical reliefs), or had its most impressive examples here (e.g., the Colosseum). Students will be introduced to recent archaeological discoveries and how these have reshaped our understanding of ancient Rome. The seminar will provide a chronological and topographical overview of the city’s development, while focusing on certain aspects of the ancient city each week, including the artistic and architectural programs of the Imperial Fora, public entertainment buildings, and the nature of the capital’s economy. The class will visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (visit TBC) and the American Numismatic Society in order to gain a fuller appreciation of the role that material culture has to play in our understanding of ancient Rome. Although this course focuses primarily on the archaeology of the City of Rome, students will be required to engage with other classes of evidence, including epigraphy, poetry, historical sources, legal texts and numismatics. This interdisciplinary approach enables scholars and students to interpret and analyze ancient Rome, its artistic production, history and topography more fully. This course should provide students interested in the history, literature and arts of the Late Republic and/or the Empire with a firm foundation in the historical debates over art, architecture and archaeology, as well as a nuanced understanding of the city’s topography, urban development, infrastructure, economy and history.