Rethinking the Roman Empire for the Classroom
Session will present: In-PersonIn introductions to Art History, the city of Rome typically dominates discussions of the Roman Empire. Yet Rome governed one of the largest empires in world history, with territory stretching across northern Africa, western Asia, and Europe. Recent research has recovered the rich and complex negotiations of tradition and innovation that occurred in these territories, whether in Egyptian temples where emperors were portrayed as pharaohs, in multicultural Palmyra where more portraits survive than in any other Roman city, or even at Pompeii where an ivory figurine from India has been found. This session asks how we can draw on current understandings of the empire's art and architecture to reframe the Roman realm for students in a broad range of survey courses.
We welcome papers that foreground decolonial theory, heritage and preservation critiques, digital applications, and other current approaches. We also welcome teachable case studies that represent under-studied areas, present well-known sites in new ways, and offer precedents for the art of other empires addressed in the art history curriculum. We invite colleagues with a broad range of specializations to contribute to the panel's concluding discussion about the shared challenges and opportunities of rethinking the Roman Empire for the classroom.
Field(s) of Study:
Cultural Spheres: Ancient Roman
Field: Pedagogy
Geographic Area: North Africa
Geographic Area: Middle East
Geographic Area: Europe
Chairs:
Kimberly B. Cassibry
and
Austen Leigh LaRocca, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Discussants:
Barbara A. Kellum, Smith College
and
Jenevieve C. DeLosSantos, Rutgers University
Abstract Submissions Closed