Overview
This unique pathway explores ways of using art and archaeology to access those histories and ideologies which appear unattainable through the written texts alone. It raises the questions: How does one begin to write a history of a people who have left nothing but the remains of their settlements and sanctuaries? What do images of enemies and foreigners tell us about the society which created them? In what ways does architecture become a language of power during kingship and imperial rule?
Material and visual culture, both independently and in conjunction with written texts, provides a rich resource which allows for the expansion of existing narratives and the creation of new ones. In so doing it also challenges underlying models which inform our understanding of historical and cultural processes and constructs.
The pathway provides the opportunity to experience the material first hand by integrating a choice of field courses in Turkey and Rome into the programme. (There is no language requirement).
Directors: Professor Barbara Borg and Dr Elena Isayev
