Roman architectural

Roman Ensembles
Bettina Bergmann

The seminar considers Roman architectural complexes as multimedia environments composed of painting, mosaic, furniture, and sculpture. Although recognized as great innovations of spatial design, such complexes are rarely studied with the media so integral to their design. Painting, sculpture, and mosaic form separate traditions in scholarly literature. The rationale for the seminar is that it is precisely in their combination that these media, and Roman experiences of environments, can be understood. Students will investigate case-studies with a critical awareness of the scholarship on different media as well as of the methods, benefits, and pitfalls of reconstructing ancient contexts. In addition to villas and houses, we will look at the evidence of tombs, baths, and spectacle buildings. Sites include Delos, Pompeii, Nemi, Rome, Tivoli, Vienne, Chirargon, Ephesos, and Lullingstone.