This course explores the art of the Mediterranean, focusing on the sites of Constantinople, Venice, Sicily, Egypt and the Holy Land. We shall study a range of artefacts such as manuscripts, maps, coins, textiles, and luxury goods, each of which took shape as a result of the vibrant cross-cultural encounters that animated the region. A key theme of the course is movement and how it facilitated the exchange of ideas, images, models, materials, and artisans within and beyond the Mediterranean. We shall be looking at objects in the Kelsey Museum and Special Collections and shall be reading a variety of rollicking primary sources (all translated) to understand the fluidity of the connections enabled by the Mediterranean both as a geographical expanse and an imaginative construct.

No cost for materials.

HISTART Distribution Requirements: A. The Middle East (includes Western and Central Asia, and North Africa), D. Europe and the US, 1. Ancient, 2. Medieval.