About this course: Which are the deepest roots of that mix of cultures that we use to call ‘Mediterranean Civilization’? Which are comminglings and exchanges which produced its most complete fruit, i.e. the city, a place for landscape-modelling communities? And which elements did contribute to build up that baulk of customs, ideas, and innovations which compelled to confrontation and hybridizations different peoples for millennia? What did it made, from pottery to metallurgy, from gastronomy to architecture, from art to religion, of a sea a cradle of civilization? Archaeology may help in disentangling such questions, seeking unexpected answers , by tinkering what ancient Mediterranean peoples left buried in the ground. A privileged point of view of our course is the ancient Phoenician city of Motya, located exactly at the centre of the “sea in the middle”. Throughout the live experience of excavation, with images taken on the field, this course will let you touch the many tesserae of the great mosaic of the Mediterranean Civilization. The field diary of the archaeologist, and the handpick will be the two tools, which will lead us across the sea to discover what such early cities actually were, and how their contribute is still a major part of our shared memory.
Who is this class for: The course is offered to a general well educated public, basically interested in the history and archaeology of ancient Mediterranean, with a novel approach, inspired by most recent and updated results of field research.
Taught by: Lorenzo Nigro, Prof.
Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia
| Level | Beginner |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Spanish |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
- Reading: Suggested readings
- Video: 1.1 On the routes of Phoenicians
- Video: 1.2 Crossing the Middle Sea
- Video: 1.3 Concept of the city
- Reading: Suggested readings
- Video: 2.2 The Palace the heart of the city
- Video: 2.3 A society in a network
- Reading: Suggested readings
- Video: 3.2 Prehistoric Motya from Levantines to Myceneans
- Video: 3.3 Phoenicians’ arrival
- Reading: Suggested readings
- Video: 4.2 The sacred waters and the inferior world
- Video: 4.3 The Temple of the Kothon
- Reading: Suggested readings
- Video: 5.2 Astarte: the thousand faces of the goddess
- Video: 5.3 The sacred precint
- Video: 5.4 Ancient anchors
- Reading: Suggested readings
- Video: 6.2 The Tophet
- Video: 6.3 The Tophet and the city
- Reading: Suggested readings
- Video: 7.2: Finds and colour of the daily life
- Video: 7.3 Dwelling quarter
- Video: 8.2: War and defences
- Video: 8.3: Integration and destruction: the Motya charioteer
- Reading: Suggested readings
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
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Me ha fascinado el curso, sumamente instructivo, felicito al Profesor Nigro y a su staff de la Universidad La Sapienza por tan importante investigacion acerca de una culura fenicia, de la que no se profundiza demasiado en algunos ambitos de la enseñanza y que tanta importancia tuvo en esos intercambios culturales con otras civilizaciones del Mediterraneo.
Los materiales aportados como de apoyo han sido fantásticos y permiten continuar profundizando el tema.
Dos unicos puntos que quisiera sugerir si se me permite, serian: el aporte de lineas de tiempo histórico en los videos pues en ocasiones algunos eventos y construcciones que son contemporáneos entre sí al ser proyectados en diferentes videos dio cierto trabajo sincronizarlos y los mapas de cada una de las construcciones que son pequeños en las proyecciones y eso dificulta su visualizacion, (tal vez deberian estar solos en una imagen, no con otros elementos, pues al ampliarlos se pierde mucha definicion...pero solo son sugerencias.
This was my first time studying anything related to the Phoenician civilization. I enjoyed how much of the lecture was on the field in Motya. The professor's English was surprisingly good.
I
FC
Great course. I enjoy the most when a Proffesor talks about his passion, like in this case. 5 stars if the Proffesor spoke better English.