Core Course Text and Matter

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/L_AAMPOHS012

Course Objective

Modern research concerning the ancient (and medieval) world increasingly uses interdisciplinary perspectives and methods in order to answer complex questions about the past in a more holistic and inclusive manner. This requires the integrated use of different types of sources, which are traditionally studied within the separate disciplines of classics and ancient history. In this course, students will: a) gain a better understanding of the interdependencies among literary and historical, b) acquire insights into the specific qualities and different potentials and limitations of various sources about the past and c) reach an understanding of the main theoretical strands addressing interdisciplinary discourse in historical studies. In addition, students will be presented with specific cases and will develop skills useful in handling such cases. The course is taught bi-annually; on each occasion, a specific topic and set of case studies will be adopted to illustrate the general theme of interdisciplinarity.

Course Content

According to the standard Western narrative, mountains in premodern cultures were seen as the sites of danger, cold and inhospitality – in short, places where people had little to look for. However, this image does not do justice to the great variety of meanings and representations of mountains in pre-modern cultures, nor does it acknowledge the influence of ancient views on our own understanding and experience of mountains. The aim is to develop a more nuanced view of the experiences and variety of cultural significances and functions of mountains in ancient contexts, and to highlight the ongoing importance of premodern perspectives on mountains in the modern and contemporary world. We will approach mountains as distinctively cultural artefacts: objects whose form, meaning and history are defined by the interaction between ancient humans and nature. Accordingly, our focus is not limited to real mountains, but also include their depictions in literary, artistic, and material sources. Depending on the disciplinary background of students, we will explore mountains in different ancient cultures (Ancient Near East, Greece, Rome, Judaism and early-Christianity). Moreover, connecting with a recent scholarly trend, we study mountains from an interdisciplinary perspective, using theories and instruments of literary studies (esp. ecocriticism) and ancient history, and (depending on the participants) other disciplines such as archeology, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, theology, etc. Sources may include descriptions and images of mountains in literary, documentary and artistic sources, ancient descriptions of mountaineering, man-made mountains. The course explicitly explores the range of interdependencies among material and textual sources about mountains and their ancient representations. Moreover, it addresses the specific possibilities and limitations of the utilization of sources and encourages a more general reflection on the interdisciplinary use of different sources. Key themes to be explored are the viewing and experience of mountain landscapes, mountain ecologies and the impact of human interaction on the environment, the role of mountains in the construction personal/collective identity, mountains and the representation of power, and the religious functions of mountains as meeting points between humans and the divine.

Teaching Methods

Seminars

Method of Assessment

1. Writing Abstract for research paper (20 %); 2. Final research paper (80 %). In the case of an insufficient grade, students can choose to rewrite the abstract/paper with the help of the instructors’ feedback (with a maximum score of 6 out of 10) or to write a new abstract/paper (no maximum score).

Literature

Reading materials will be announced and/or provided through Canvas.

Target Audience

- Research master students of Classics and Ancient Civilizations (VU)

Additional Information

The information on the Canvas page for this course is leading.

Entry Requirements

Students of the Research Master Classics and Ancient Civilizations (VU) are admitted to the course. Other students are asked to contact the course coordinator.