Have you ever fantasied about your dream home, located anywhere you want and decorated and outfitted with anything you desired? Then this course is for you! The houses of the Roman Empire were brimming with a vibrant and varied visual culture: gardens filled with life-likes statues, floors paved with imported marbles, and walls covered with bright colors and scenes from mythological tales. This course will focus on the visual culture found in Roman homes - both urban townhouses and country villas - from Italy and across the provinces of the Roman Empire. Students will be introduced to a variety of mediums, such as painting, sculpture, and mosaics, which will serve as the basis for conversations about topics such as: How do we define art? What makes something authentic? What roles can domestic art play in society? How does the dominance of the gaze, and our other senses, affect our experience of visual culture?

HISTART Concentration Distributions: Ancient and Transregional