Skidmore College Department of Classics

AH 222: Greek Art and Archaeology. 3 credits
An exploration of the major developments in architecture, sculpture, and painting from Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations through the Hellenistic period. Attention is given to the influences on Greek art from the East and to the influence of Greek art on other cultures. Prerequisite: None. Mechem.

AH 223: Roman Art and Archaeology. 3 credits
An exploration of the major developments in architecture, sculpture, and painting beginning with the Villanovan and Etruscan cultures and continuing through the Republic and Empire (fourth century A.D.) Topics covered include wall painting, narrative sculpture, and city planning, and the development of art for and by the masses. Prerequisite: None. Mechem.

CC 365: Roman Art in the Private Sphere. 3 credits
Much of the study of Roman art and archaeology has concentrated on the public monuments of Rome and their historical contexts. This course will explore the individual tastes and aspirations of Romans outside the imperial elite as reflected in the decoration of their homes. Through a close study of individual houses and villas from Pompeii and Herculaneum, we will examine the choices made in styles of wall painting, mosaics, and sculpture as well as their placement in particular rooms. We will ascertain whether particular homes had an overall decorative scheme and whether this extended to their gardens. Ultimately our focus will be on what private art tells us about the lives of everyday Romans. Prerequisite: None. Counts toward the Art History major. Mechem.

CC 365: Bronze Age Art and Archaeology. 3 credits
Troy, Mycenae, and Knossos are legendary as cities which saw the fighting of Greek heroes in the Trojan war, where Agamemnon was killed and the Minotaur dispatched by Theseus. Students will explore the mythical background and the artistic and archaeological reality of these sites and others as we examine the rise and flowering of Minoan and Mycenaean civilization in the Aegean Bronze Age 3000-1100 B.C. We will view the architecture, wall paintings, statues and pottery of these peoples and their interactions with the Egyptians and Mesopotamians. In doing so we will build a picture of the Bronze age world and discover what destroyed these civilizations around 1100 B.C. By the end of the course we will have a better sense of the reality of this period and how and why the sites and people of the time became mythical and legendary. Prerequisite: None. Counts toward the Art History major. Mechem.

LS2 180: Images of the Twelve Caesars. 3 credits
The lives of the twelve Caesars have been romanticized by biographers, artists, playwrights, novelists, and filmmakers from antiquity to recent times. From Julius Caesar through Caligula and Domitian, we will examine the nature of Roman society and the changing depiction of these twelve Roman emperors, their wives and children, as represented in literature, the fine arts, and cinema. Prerequisite: None. Counts toward the Expository Writing requirement. Mechem.