ARTH 208(S) Art as a Tool of Empire (Same as Classics 220)

The Roman Empire was conquered by force but was maintained by co-opting subjugated elites into wanting their children to grow up Roman. One important tool was building new cities and re-making old ones into Roman places. Architecture, painting, sculpture-all the visual arts-were deployed to show that to be Roman was to share in a high culture and way of life that were irresistibly enticing. We will investigate how functional infrastructures (roads, water supply etc.) and urban amenities (theaters, baths, porticoes lined with statues, houses with frescoed walls and mosaic floors etc.) shaped the experience of becoming Roman.
Format: lectures and discussion. Requirements: hour exam, report/paper, final exam.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 25 (expected: 25). Preference given to sophomores, juniors and seniors.
Satisfies the pre-1400 and pre-1800 requirements.

Hour: MARVIN