ARHA 318

LATE ANTIQUE & BYZANTINE

ART & ARCHITECTURE
Ko University
Fall 2010

Instructor: Dr. Alessandra Ricci, SOS #269; aricci@ku.edu.tr

Schedule: Tuesdays, Thursdays; 14.00 15.15; CAS B26
Office hours: Tuesday 9.30-11 or by appointment
Teaching Assistants: Pinar Saglav psaglav@ku.edu.tr
Koroglu, kkoroglu@ku.edu.tr

; Murat Kivanc

Course Description: Late Antique and Byzantine Art & Architecture

concern the culture, society patterns, tastes and their visual
reverberations in late Roman times and what has come to be known as
the Byzantine Empire. The Empire was centered around the city of
Constantinople (Istanbul), dedicated by the emperor Constantine in 330
CE. While the boundaries of the empire shifted over its many centuries
of life, the capture of the city in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks drew to a
formal end the history/ies of Byzantium.
The course explores in a chronological and thematic fashion the main
traits of Late Antique and Byzantine Art and Architecture. It does also
focus on Byzantium`s neighbors and some of the lesser explored aspects
of this long lasting empire. The final section of the course will be devoted
to an analysis of contemporary perceptions and representations of
Byzantium.
Textbook and Readings:

R. Cormack, Byzantine Art, Oxford 2000

(28 copies available at Pandora Bookstore)
Other Readings: available in the form of a
reading package at the Xerox Center as of
Week 2 of classes.
Textbook and Readings - Reserve Area at the SKLibrary: One copy of
the textbook and of the readings available at the Reserve Area in the
SKLibrary. This is as you enter the library to your left.

Grading: Class, Thursday discussion sessions and fieldtrips

participation 25%; project 10%; class journals and assignments 20%;
mid-term exam 20%; final exam 25%
Fieldtrips: two half-day Saturday fieldtrips in Istanbul. Fieldtrips will
replace classes.
One mid-term: will cover class lectures, readings, class discussion,
assignments and fieldtrips.
Final examination: cumulative with but weighed towards material
covered during the second half of the semester
Class Journal & assignments: a total of four class journals & short
assignments will be prepared in the course of the semester.
How to approach this class:
- Take the lectures and fieldtrips seriously. You are strongly
encouraged to come to class and to the fieldtrips. All mobile phones
must be turned off. Laptops are allowed but, for note taking only.
- Take the visual component of the class seriously. It may initially
result difficult to process images; make sure to take ample notes on them
and to review images shown in class that will be posted on the F-Drive.
- Take the readings seriously. You are requested to complete for a
given week by the Thursday class session of each week. A good portion
of each Thursday class will be devoted to class discussion on the weekly
readings. This will form an integral part of your final grade.
- Observe e-mail etiquette: do try and limit email to course instructor
and TAs to issues that truly matter. Were you in need of writing, please,
do treat your emails as formal letters of inquiry.
- CHEATING & PLAGERISM: NOT ALLOWED, NEVER. WILL BE
PENALIZED AS PER UNIVERSITY RULES.
Grading Scale:

100 -93:
92- 87:
86- 83:
82- 80:
79- 77:
76- 73:
72- 70:
69- 67:
66- 64:
63- 60:
59- 0:

A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F

Schedule and Readings:

Week 1: September 28, 30
Introduction to course
The Worlds of Late Antiquity and Byzantium
NO READINGS
Week 2: October 5, 7
From `Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire` to the World of Late
Antiquity: New Perspectives on the Late Roman Empire
Readings:
Cormack, pp. 1- 35
Herrin, pp. xiii-xxiii
Week 3: October 12, 14
The rise of a new society: the desert, a city
Readings:
Mango, pp. 209-213
Hirschfeld, pp. 69-101; 213- 221;
First class journal due on Thursday in class
Week 4: October 19, 21
A New Metropolis: Constantinople
Readings:
Rautman, pp. 85 - 118
Mango, pp. 64 - 70
Week 5: October 26
The Palace, its Emperors: Born in Purple
Readings:
Magdalino, pp. 212-230
OCTOBER 28 NO CLASS - National Holiday
Week 6: November 2, 4
The sixth century: a 'Golden Age' ?
Cormack, pp. 37-73
Second class journal or assignment due on Thursday in class
Week 7: November 9 , 11
NOVEMBER 9: Revision Session in preparation for Mid-term exam
NOVEMBER 11: Mid-Term Exam
NO READINGS
Week 8: November 16, 18
NO CLASSES: HOLIDAY
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Week 9: November 23, 25

Byzantine neighbors: Islam and the First Caliphates
Readings:
Grabar, pp. 1-17
Mango, pp. 120- 128
Week 10: November 30, December 2
Moving and living in cities: Pilgrimage and Urban Life
Readings:
Mango, pp. 71-95; 115 -119
R. Ousterhout, pp. 47 - 57
Third Class Journal or Assignment due on Thursday in class
Week 11: December 7, 9 & Saturday December 11
From Islamic fascinations to monastic contemplations: the archaeological
project at Kkyal, Istanbul
Readings:
Cormack, pp. 86 -110
Ricci, pp. 131- 147
Saturday, December 11: Fieldtrip to the Istanbul Archaeological
Museums
Week 12: December 14, 16
Renaissance and Renaissances: does Byzantium qualify?
Readings:
Cormack, pp. 105 - 142
Week 13: December 21, 23
Patrons, spirituality and display in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
Readings:
Cormack, pp.156-179; 200-217
DECEMBER 23TH PROJECT DUE
Week 14: December 28, 30
Byzantium Rediscovered
Readings:
Bullen,
Fourth Class Journal or Assignment due in class on Thursday
Week 15: January 4, 6
JANUARY 4: Revision in Preparation of Final Exam
JANUARY 6: Final Exam during Class Hours
NO READINGS
Final Grades in: last date, January 30, 2011
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