Description
This course examines art historical approaches to studying the ancient Middle East in the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. These approaches foreground visual culture as a body of evidence in its own right for reconstructing social, political, and cultural developments. Weekly topics focus on broad issues of image-based inquiry such as the development of pictorial narrative, hybridisation of motifs and styles, and the use of materials and technologies involved in the production and consumption of visual culture. Some weekly themes revolve around 鈥淧ower and Propaganda鈥, 鈥淎udience and Consumption鈥, or 鈥淚nternationalism and Hybridity.鈥 Reception of ancient images by the modern world is framed in relation to curatorial practices and heritage. The penultimate session is a visit to the British Museum for a close examination of objects relevant to the time periods, regions, and themes under discussion, before concluding with an essay workshop in which students introduce their topics and relevant sources to the rest of the group for an informal feedback session to test approaches and swap ideas.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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