This course is taught on-site in Italy, and will be offered over the (Australian) summer.  Students will travel to a number of important archaeological sites on the Italian peninsula and in Sicily.  The course will focus on the entry into this region of three major foreign cultures – Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans – and the subsequent history of contact, conflict and acculturation between locals and outsiders and between the three dominant groups.  A number of major archaeological sites will be visited, including Naples and surrounding area (including Pompeii and Herculaneum), Poseidonia/Paestum, Taras/Tarentum, Metapontion, Sybaris, Kroton/Thourioi, Rhegion, Zankle/Messana, Syracuse, Gela, Akragas/Agrigentum, Segesta, Selinous, Himera, Motya, etc.  The course will also visit key sites associated with the later history of the region.

The course will consider topics such as: the nature of Greek and Phoenician colonisation and its effects on local inhabitants; Magna Graecia as a distinctive contributor to Greek culture; warfare between Greeks and Carthaginians, between Greek cities, between Romans and Carthaginians, and between Romans and Greeks; economic exploitation by Greeks and Romans; and the archaeological history of the region.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:  
 
(1) recall significant events in the ancient history of southern Italy and Sicily
(2) distinguish significant elements in the layout of an ancient city
(3) relate a site on the ground to maps and other written material about the site; and in broad terms interpret the evidence of an archaeological site
(4) evaluate the evidence of material in museums as it relates to the history and culture of specific areas
(5) deduce relationships between topography, siting of settlements, patterns of agricultural exploitation, transport systems, and military campaigns
(6) hypothesise relationships between landscape, human settlement, and cultural memory

•    preliminary paper on topic of final research paper (submitted before departure) (1,500 words): 10%  [LO 4, 5 or 6]
 
•    one or more group presentations in Australia and/or Italy, discussing significant aspects of individual sites and/or themes relevant to the course, with PowerPoints and/or written handouts: 25%  [LO 1, 2 and 3]
 
•    research paper (4,000 words), due approx. 5 weeks after return from Italy: 35%  [LO 4, 5 or 6]
 
•    course diary (minimum length 4,000 words): 20%  [LO 2, 3, 4, 5]
 
•    overall course participation, including participation in group discussions: 10%  [LO 3, 4, 5, 6]

• 3 weeks' intensive study in Italy/Sicily
• approx. 140 hours' work before and after fieldwork in Italy/Sicily (November, December, February)

Departmental Consent only

It is recommended that students should have taken ANCH1013 and ANCH1014 prior to undertaking this course.

Selected articles and book chapters will be provided, relating to key issues and individual sites.

Good walking boots and cold-weather gear are essential.  Participants will also find a small laptop or tablet computer of advantage during the fieldwork in Italy.