2011
Art and Architecture of
Ancient Greece and the Aegean – GRS 371
Monday and Thursday 11:30 – 12:50 pm, Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sc. A104
Instructor: Dr. Brendan Burke
Email: bburke@uvic.ca
Office: Clearihue B424
Office Hours: Tuesday 10:30-11:30 a.m. and Wednesday 1:30-2:30 p.m., or by appointment
Office Phone: 250-721-8522
Mailbox: Department of Greek and Roman Studies, Clearihue B409
Course text: Greek Art and Archaeology, John G. Pedley (Author) Prentice Hall, 5th Edition (2011)
ISBN-10: 9780205001330. (Any edition will be acceptable!)
Moodel site: http://moodle.uvic.ca/. This site will be updated frequently with lecture outlines and images
for review. Please contact me or UVic Computer Helpdesk (helpdesk@uvic.ca) if you are having
problems viewing the course web page.
Course description: This course is an introduction to the art and architecture of the Greek world from the
Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period. Architecture, sculpture, ceramics, and minor arts are
examined as archaeological artifacts to understand Greek history and society.
The course requires attendance at two illustrated slide lectures each week. You will be responsible for
(i.e., examined on) some material not included in the texts but presented in the weekly lectures. You must
complete all requirements for the course in order to receive a passing grade. Please consult the exam
schedule before making your travel plans for the holiday break in December since make-up exams will
not be possible. Students will be evaluated on two quizzes (15% each), one research paper (35%), and a
cumulative final exam (35%).
Course objective: After this course students will be able to identify and describe the cultural significance
of a variety of monuments and works of art, to trace the chronological periods within the field of Greek
archaeology, and be able to research aspects of Greek material culture.
Research paper: The term paper (approx. 7-9 pages, excluding bibliography) will focus on a topic
approved by the instructor. Please schedule an office visit before the first week in October so that we can
agree on the topic for research. The paper is due at the beginning of class Monday, November 21. LATE
ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Please review the UVic policy on Academic Integrity in the
University Calendar.
Grading: Percentage grades are assigned to the quizzes, research paper, and final exam. The following
table shows the equivalencies used when converting numerical scores to letter grades. Grade point values
and a general description of each grade is given. These grades correspond to the grading schema on page
38 of the University of Victoria calendar.
Percentage
95-100
90-94
85-89
80-84
75-79
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
Grade Point
9
8
7
6
5
Percentage
70-74
65-69
60-64
50-59
<50
1
Letter Grade
BC+
C
D
F
Grade Point
4
3
2
1
0
2011
Class Schedule: Below is an outline for the term with lecture topics. There may be some adjustments
throughout the semester. Readings are to be completed before the class for which they have been
scheduled.
COURSE OUTLINE
Monday
Thursday
September 8
The Study of Classical Greece
Week 1
Week 5
September 12
Islands in the Stream
Pedley, Ch. 1
September 19
Age of Heroes – Mycenaeans
Pedley pp. 63-87
September 26
Dark Ages and a Spark
Pedley pp. 105-116
October 3
Ex Oriente Lux: Friend or Foe?
September 15
Crete in the midst of the Great Green Sea
Pedley, Ch. 2
September 22
Collapse
Pedley pp. 88-104
September 29
Geometry and Order
Pedley pp. 117-123
October 6
Quiz #1
Week 6
October 10
Thanksgiving
October 13
Aristocratic Youths
Pedley Ch. 5
October 20
Birth of Democracy
Pedley pp. 193-209
October 27
Age of Transition
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
October 14
Tyranny
Pedley pp. 151-192
October 24
Olympia and Delphi
Pedley Ch. 7
October 31
Classical Athens
Pedley Ch. 8
November 7
Quiz #2
November 3
Beyond the Acropolis
November 10
READING BREAK
November 14
Power Struggles
Pedley pp. 289-311
November 21 (papers due!)
How Great was Alexander?
Pedley pp. 311-335
November 28
Too Much of a Good Thing
Pedley pp 387
November 15
Macedonians on the March
November 24
The Hellenistic Age of Revival
Pedley Ch. 10
December 1
Review
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2011
GRS 371 Greek Art and Architecture – Research Paper Guidelines
Topic: Consider a specific topic within the broad field of Greek art and architecture. I am happy to help you
come up with a topic over email or during office hours - consulting me immediately before or after class is
not usually a good time for detailed discussion. Your topic can include specific works we have discussed in
class, such as a temple, a work of sculpture, or an iconographic theme used in Greek art. You may also focus
on an archaeological problem related to the field of Greek archaeology, such as ethics, applications of science
in Classical archaeology, reconciling textual sources with the material record. ALL PAPERS must
incorporate specific examples in your discussion. You also need to ask a specific research question or pose a
problem that you resolve in your paper. Please do not simply summarize research that has already been
done on a topic, giving merely a description of a work of art or architecture. Make your objectives clear, give
a brief review of the scholarship related to your topic, and make your conclusions logical. Topics to avoid are
overly general and lacking focus. Examples: ‘the role of women in Greek art’, ‘politics and society in Greek
art’, ‘religion’, 'myth and depictions of gods'. AVOID THESE as paper topics.
Illustrations: You will want to include illustrations at the back of your paper. Be sure to label the figures
(Fig. 1, 2, etc.), cite the source of your image (e.g., Pedley, fig. 3.23), and refer to them in your text. For
example, "The Knidian Aphrodite (Fig. 1) shows… "
Format: For full credit, your paper should be in well-written academic English, in a standard font such as
Times Roman, 12 pt., double-spaced, with 1 inch margins (no more), 7-9 pages in length. Please number all
of your pages. Double-check the paper for errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and general coherence.
Read it out loud to yourself or to a friend to see that the paper is clear. Style counts as much as content.
Please print out your paper – do not send me an email copy unless absolutely necessary. Do not use plastic
binders. A simple staple is sufficient. The paper is DUE at the beginning of class Monday Nov. 21, 2011. No
late papers. Contact me if there are serious difficulties.
Documentation: All of your research needs to be properly documented. See pp. 33-4 of the University
Calendar for the Policy on Academic Integrity for all submitted work.
A bibliography of published works (between 5-10 sources) is necessary. Please list them in alphabetical
order, by last name of author. Avoid heavy dependence on internet resources and make sure the ones you
use are academic ones and meet university-level standards of scholarship. Please consult resources online
through the UVic website, including JSTOR. For example, American Journal of Archaeology
http://www.jstor.org/journals/ 00029114.html and Hesperia http://www.jstor.org/journals/0018098X.html
Do not use websites related to tourism. If there are advertisements on the page, it’s not very reliable. You
may write the bibliography in any commonly accepted format, but be consistent in style. You may also
include footnotes at the bottom of each page, endnotes at the end of the text, or short internal citations
within the body of the paper.
A very few general topics for your consideration in formulating a research subject:
 Greek architectural orders as a reflection of ethnic identity; Origins of the Minoan palaces; Greek
athletics in art; a contextual analysis of the Nike of Samothrace; the use of white-ground lekythoi; the
history of the Temple of Aphaia at Aegina sculptures; The ethical problems of collecting ancient art –
the Getty Museum, the Euphronios krater; Archaeological evidence for historical events - the Battle of
Marathon, the plague; origins of Greek theater; Temple of Apollo at Bassae; Wall Paintings at Akrotiri
and epic poetry.
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2011
On Reserve and Online Research Materials
Books on Reserve for GRS 371 at McPherson Library, Fall 2011
Aegean Bronze age / Oliver Dickinson.
Archaeology of Greece : an introduction / William R. Biers. -Art and culture of early Greece, 1100-480 B.C. / Jeffrey M. Hurwit. -Art and experience in classical Greece / J. J. Pollitt. -Art in the Hellenistic age / J.J. Pollitt. -Art, artefacts, and chronology in classical archaeology / William R. Biers. -Athenian Acropolis : history, mythology, and archaeology / Jeffrey M. Hurwit.
Athenian black figure vases : a handbook / John Boardman.
Athenian red figure vases : the classical period : a handbook / John Boardman. -Greece in the bronze age/ Emily Vermeule.
Greek art and archaeology / John Griffiths Pedley.
Greek sculpture : an exploration / Andrew Stewart. -Greek sculpture : the late classical period and sculpture in colonies and overseas / John Boardman.
Internet Sources:
Commercial websites (with advertisements) or personal photo sites (Flickr, Picasa, etc.) and travel blogs are
NOT academic sources and must not be used. Any Wikipedia entry MUST have academic citations in the entry
– footnotes, bibliography. But do not rely on second-hand information - consult the original sources using the
bibliographies!! Do not rely on or cite a Wiki entry. If you are going to use Google – please use Google
Scholar (go to Google homepage and click 'more', and then 'Scholar').
For online research please START with these links
Online journals through UVic Library http://www.jstor.org/action/showBasicSearch
American Journal of Archaeology http://www.ajaonline.org/
Archaeology Magazine http://www.archaeology.org/
Athenian Agora http://www.agathe.gr/
Corinth Mapping http://corinth.sas.upenn.edu/corinth.html
Isthmia project http://isthmia.osu.edu/
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry http://www.rhodes.aegean.gr/maa_journal/
Metis maps http://www.stoa.org/metis/cgi-bin/cat
Greek Ministry of Culture http://www.culture.gr/war/index.jsp
Perseus http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/
Dartmouth Bronze Age http://projectsx.dartmouth.edu/classics/history/bronze_age/index.html
Hesperia link http://www.atypon-link.com/ASCS/loi/hesp
American School of Classical Studies at Athens http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/
Canadian Institute in Greece http://www.cig-icg.gr/
British School at Athens http://www.bsa.ac.uk/
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