Roman Architecture

Course Number
HSAR 252
About the Course

This course is an introduction to the great buildings and engineering marvels of Rome and its empire, with an emphasis on urban planning and individual monuments and their decoration, including mural painting. While architectural developments in Rome, Pompeii, and Central Italy are highlighted, the course also provides a survey of sites and structures in what are now North Italy, Sicily, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, and North Africa. The lectures are illustrated with over 1,500 images, many from Professor Kleiner’s personal collection.

Course Structure

This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 75 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2009.

Syllabus

Professor
Diana E. E. Kleiner, Dunham Professor Emerita of History of Art and Classics
Description

This course is an introduction to the great buildings and engineering marvels of Rome and its empire, with an emphasis on urban planning and individual monuments and their decoration, including mural painting. While architectural developments in Rome, Pompeii, and Central Italy are highlighted, the course also provides a survey of sites and structures in what are now North Italy, Sicily, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, and North Africa. The lectures are illustrated with over 1,500 images, many from Professor Kleiner’s personal collection.

Texts

Ward-Perkins, John B. Roman Imperial Architecture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994.

Claridge, Amanda. Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, second edition, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Requirements

The course requires two midterms and a term paper. The paper is approximately 8 pages of text, plus footnotes or endnotes, bibliography, and illustrations. Students should choose their topic from three options: traditional research paper, select a building/select a theme, and design a Roman city.

Grading

Midterm examination 1: 30%
Midterm examination 2: 30%
Final paper: 30%
Participation in online forum: 10%