Lucy Wadeson: module outline
Q83NEE The Greco-Roman Near East and Egypt: Art and Cultural Interaction
The interaction between eastern and western cultural forces in classical antiquity is nowhere
better reflected than in the art produced in the Near East and Egypt during the Hellenistic and
Roman periods. Our understanding of the artistic culture of this part of the Greco-Roman world has
been increased by important archaeological discoveries in the region, and is relevant to the current
involvement of the west in Middle Eastern politics, religion and culture. This course aims to provide
students with an overview of the art produced at key sites, such as Alexandria, Jerusalem, Petra,
Jerash, Palmyra and Hatra. More specifically, through detailed studies of the painting, sculpture,
mosaics, coinage and architecture of these cities, it will be demonstrated how varied was the
reception of classical culture depending on the nature of the pre-existing local societies and their
religions. Despite the adoption of similar aspects of Greek and Roman art, such as style and subject
matter, local cultural identities remain distinctive in their unique blending of local and classical
elements.
The sophistication evident in the selection and use of these classical elements to create new
versions of art will be highlighted, as well as the interaction between art, politics and religion.
Particular focus will be placed upon the transition to Roman rule in the region and the underlying
Hellenistic continuity, and how this is reflected in the art of religious, civic, funerary and domestic
spheres. The later rise of Christianity and its influence on Jewish art will be examined to understand
how religious identities were expressed through art. This artistic expression, with enduring Greek
and Roman influences, survives into the early Islamic period (c. 700 AD) in the design and decoration
of famed monuments such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Great Mosque in
Damascus. The comprehension of the cultural interaction of this region through a study of its art is
particularly relevant to increasing understanding between the West and the Middle East today.
Lectures:
Lecture 1: East meets West 1: understanding the art of the Greco-Roman Near East
(Historical overview – the role of Hellenistic continuity in facilitating Roman influence)
Lecture 2: East meets West 2: understanding the art of Greco-Roman Egypt
(Historical overview – Greek and Roman interaction with the Egyptian tradition)
Lecture 3: Mixing mythologies: Alexandrian tomb paintings
(Expressions of identity through Greek and Egyptian iconographies and styles)
Lecture 4: Art in a desert city: Petra
(Distinctiveness of local cultural identities revealed in the use of classical elements)
Lecture 5: To live like a king: the architecture of Herod the Great (73-4 BC)
(How architecture can reflect political agendas; detecting Greek and Roman influences)
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Lucy Wadeson: module outline
Lecture 6: The urban aesthetic: cities of the Roman Near East
(The reflection of political, religious and social change in the urban layout)
Lecture 7: On the edge of empire: Parthian art at Hatra (2nd-3rd cent. AD)
(The extent of Roman influence in Parthian art)
Lecture 8: Faced with the dead: Egyptian mummy portraits and Palmyrene funerary busts
(Self-representation and issues of ethnicity versus common trends in the region)
Lecture 9: Religious identities and competition: late antique synagogue and church mosaics
(Formation of religious identities through art; Christian and Jewish use of pagan imagery)
Lecture 10: Cultural continuity and the coming of Islam: the Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) and the
Great Mosque (Damascus)
(The survival of classical art into the early Islamic period and its impact)
Seminars:
Seminar 1: Ptolemaic royal portrait sculpture
Seminar 2: The Nabataean Temple at Khirbet et-Tannur, Jordan (1st – 3rd cent. AD)
Seminar 3: The city of Jerash
Seminar 4: Tombs at Palmyra
Seminar 5: The Sepphoris Synagogue mosaics
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