Introduction to Coptic Archaeology

Description

Through knowledge and understanding, students will be able to: • Identify the main sites on a map • Name important artworks • Describe buildings and objects using appropriate terminology Through intellectual skills, students will be able to: • Analyze materials and techniques • Compare different schools and different Late Antique and Early Medieval Christian art traditions • Criticize scholarly literature Through professional and practical skills, students will be able to: • Read correctly an archaeological or architectural plan • Understand archaeological sources • Carry out specific research tasks • Differentiate between various styles and phases Through general and transferable skills, students will be able to: • Present, evaluate and self-evaluate a twenty-minute paper • Work in a team • Deliver a public speech • Research and write a short essay

Program

Egyptian Archaeology

Objectives

• The course aims at introducing students to the study of Coptic art and archaeology. After an overview of the chronology of the period and of the sources available (literary, documentary, and archaeological sources), the students will go through a thorough analysis of architectural types (churches and monasteries) and relevant artworks in the different categories (wood carving, painting, stelae, etc.). Key studies will be analysed in depth to flesh out the characteristics of Coptic art in Egypt, as opposed to other examples of Christian art in the Byzantine world and Late Antique Nubia.