Greek Archaeology

Contents

Compulsory modules
As part of the Greek Archaeology MRes you will study one core module in either of the following:

Theory and Practice of Archaeology as Applied in Greek Conditions
This module includes; archaeological stratigraphy, relative and absolute chronology; field survey and geophysical techniques; archaeological recording on site and in the museum; pottery typology, draughting, photography; data presentation and publication techniques.

Scientific and Environmental Methods in Greek Archaeology
This module aims to aid the understanding of current scientific studies to facilitate future collaboration with specialists - it does not aim to train specialists. The syllabus includes Mediterranean agriculture and stockraising: interpreting reports on plant and animal remains, pottery and metals analysis, landscape and soil studies, palaeopathology.

Modern Greek
This module aims to introduce you to sufficient grammar and vocabulary to read straightforward archaeological reports by the end of the year. In addition students are encouraged to attain a basic standard of spoken Greek.

Optional modules
You will also take an optional module tp provide additional background to your chosen topic. The choice available in any one year depends on demand and staff time. At present the following are available:

The Neolithic of the Aegean Area
From the introduction of agriculture and stockraising to the first use of metals and the development of long range trade, this period offers the opportunity to examine the dynamics of social organisation in a period when village communities were established in most parts of Greece.

The Early Bronze Age of the Aegean Area
With the diversification of the agricultural base and rapid advances in the subsistence economy, the Greek landscape began to support proto-urban communities in which specialist craftsmen developed a wide range of skills. The search for raw materials promoted maritime trade beyond the Aegean and the first signs of administrative systems can be detected.

The Palace Societies
Rapid economic and social advance accompanied the emergence of the Palace centres in Crete and mainland Greece. These Palaces supported a high level of artistic and technological skill with a written administrative system and promoted a network of trade throughout the Mediterranean.

The 'Dark Ages'
With the rapid pace of archaeological discovery, the 'darkness' is rapidly lightening. The disappearance of the Mycenaean palaces is followed by sharp economic decline. With the economic recovery in the ninth century the foundations of classical Greece are clearly established.

Greek Colonisation
Settlement on the coasts of Macedonia and Southern Italy in the 8th century BC followed extensive trade and contact from the Mycenaean period. Studies of selected colonies, together with the archaeological and historical background to their foundation, permit a deeper understanding of the processes by which the Greek world expanded before the Classical period.

Greek and Roman Sculpture and Painting
The ancient Greeks and Romans devoted considerable expense and effort to the adornment of their environment: two of the most important media were sculpture and painting, appearing in both public and private contexts. More than mere decoration, these works reflected the social, economic and even political aspirations of their instigators.

Classical Architecture
The end of the Dark Age in Greece saw the beginning of a monumental tradition in architecture which resulted in the Parthenon of Athens and the Pantheon of Rome. The combination of new skills and technology with changing religious, social and political contexts created buildings which transformed the landscape of the Classical world.

Byzantine Archaeology
This developing field covers the whole span of the Byzantine world from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the Ottoman conquest. Topics include urban and rural communities; civil and military architecture, numismatics, sigillography, epigraphy and methodology.

Byzantine Art
The monuments of the Byzantine period provide a rich field for study - of religious architecture, sculpture and painting from icons and wall painting to book illumination - with special emphasis on interpretation in their historical context.