Admission requirements
Please note: use the activity number (to be found in the timetable) to register for the correct Brightspace module!
Bachelor’s degree obtained;
Basic familiarity with provincial Roman archaeology. If in doubt, please contact the lecturer (see ‘Contact’ below).
Description
The Roman conquest ushered in major changes in society, technology and organisational complexity as well as altering the nature of people’s relationship with material culture. In this course we examine the life cycle of artefacts, ranging from extraction to final discard.
In the northern provinces in particular the conquest introduces massive changes in material culture, reflecting not only the increasing demands of the military apparatus, but also changing attitudes to possessions, their use and their disposal on the part of the local population.
We will explore the impact of technology and expanding horizons, the role of consumers in the distribution of goods and the underlying continuity of religious practices in the final discard of particular artefacts. The case studies presented relate to ongoing departmental research, both national and international.
Debate in the provincial Roman community as expressed in the annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference and its publications forms the theoretical background to this course.
This course is open to both MA and RMA-students, but their assessments are different. MA-students will do group assignments, whereas RMA-students will do their assignments individually.
Course objectives
After completing this course, the student:
will begin to understand the complexity of Roman materiality in North-Western Europe and beyond;
will be familiar with significant sites and materials;
will be acquainted with the recent theoretical debate;
has gained writing skills;
has gained presentation skills;
is able to write, individually, a final essay that shows a theoretical or methodological approach from a broader academic and preferably multidisciplinary background or context with, as a result, original and creative ideas.
Timetable
Course schedule details can be found in the RMA and RMSc time schedule.
Mode of instruction
Lectures, including student presentations.
Due to COVID-19 measures in place, and depending on developments in the situation, the mode of instruction may change before or during the course.
Course load
14×2 hours of lectures (2 ec);
Individual assignments (3 ec).
Assessment method
Assignment results.
A retake of the individual assignments is not possible, but the individual grades can be compensated.
The assignments have strict weekly deadlines, the last deadline being 1 week after the last class.
All assessment deadlines (exams, retakes, paper deadlines etc.) can be found in the RMA and RMSc examination schedule.
Due to COVID-19 measures in place, and depending on developments in the situation, the assessment method may change before or during the course.
Reading list
The reading list will be posted on Brightspace.
Registration
Registration via uSis is mandatory.
The Administration Office will register all BA1 students for their tutorials (not lectures; register via uSis!).
BA2, BA3, MA/MSc and RMA/RMSc students are required to register for all lectures and tutorials well in time.
The Administration Office registers all students for their exams, students are not required to do this in uSis.
Contact
For more information about this course, please contact dr. ir. M.J. (Mark) Driessen.
Remarks
Compulsory attendance.