Content

This unit will give students a comprehensive overview of the main archaeological sites in Egypt from Late Antiquity, looking at both communal monasteries and semi-anchoritic settlements, analysing their characteristic components and their evolution in time. Students will also study the representation of wall paintings presented in the most important monastic sites. This unit will also consider how textual information pertaining to the various theologies present in late antique Egypt is reflected in monastic architecture, as revealed archaeologically.

Unit code: AH8140A

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Foundational

Unit discipline: History

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: St Athanasius College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Explain how to interpret an archaeological site and associated findings within an overall historical context.

2.

Identify the main monuments and artefacts from Christian Egypt

3.

Distinguish between different architectural techniques and patterns, and decorative art styles;

4.

Analyse the relation between literary, archaeological, and art historic aspects

5.

Critically evaluate the theological significance of monastic architecture

Pedagogy

Face to Face: 12 weekly sessions consisting of lectures, presentations, and class discussion.

Indicative Bibliography

  • Badawy, Alexander, Coptic Art and Archaeology, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1978.
  • Bolman, E., Monastic Visions. Wall Paintings in the Monastery of St. Antony at the Red Sea, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002.
  • Evelyn-White, Hugh, The Monasteries of Wadi ‘n Natrun, Part I-III, New York: Arno Press, 1926-33.
  • Frend, W. H. C., The Archaeology of Early Christianity, Minneapolis: Geoffrey Chapman, 1996.
  • Gabra, Gawdat, Coptic Monasteries: Egypt’s Monastic Art and Architecture, Cairo: The American University of Cairo Press, 2004.
  • Grossmann, Peter, Abu Mina, a Guide to the Ancient Pilgrimage Center, Cairo: German Archaeology Institute, 1986.
  • Lyster, William, The Cave Church of St. Paul the Hermit, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008.
  • Quibell, J. E., Excavations at Saqqara, v. 4. 1908-1909, 1909-1910. The Monastery of Apa Jeremias, Cairo, 1912.
  • Wilfong, T. G., Women of Jeme. Lives in a Coptic Town in Late Antique Egypt, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002.
  • Winlock, H. E. and W. E. Crum, The Monastery of Epiphanius at Thebes. 2 vols, New York, 1926. Articles that are compulsory weekly readings will be made available online [in PDF format].

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay - Museum Catalogue

Create a museum catalogue equivalent to 3,000 words

0 50.0
Oral Presentation - Group

Group (oral) presentation [15 mins] + one 1,000 word summary equivalent to 1,500 words.

0 25.0
Oral Presentation - Individual

Individual (oral) presentation [15 mins] + one 1,000 word summary equivalent to 1,500 words.

0 25.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 1 Nov, 2017

Unit record last updated: 2019-10-03 11:34:38 +1000