Dwellings of the Gods Viewing Religious Architectural Space

Dwellings of the Gods: Viewing Religious Architectural Space in Greece

Acknowledgments n n The creation of the Web. CT site has been made possible thanks to a FILTA Award (£ 3742) managed by SALTIRE and the support of the School of Classics and Computer Science. Kelly Joss and Jamie Mc. Intyre (both School of Classics) scanned and manipulated all the images (some 3572 images). The site was created by Rowan Crawford as her project for the Postgraduate Diploma in IT. Rebecca Sweetman is grateful to the funding body and particularly to the three project members who worked with diligence and enthusiasm well beyond the call of duty.

Presentation Project Aims n Learning Outcomes n Presentation of sites n Future work n

Background: the module n n CL 4424: Classical Temple to Christian Basilica: Development of religious architecture in Greece; new module in the School of Classics Within a historical framework, the aim of the course is to explore a range of religious architecture and architectural décor from Greece and its ancient colonies Diachronic range of material from Archaic (7 th century BC) to Early Christian (7 th century AD) to include the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods also. Develop interpretations of the development of religious architecture study to form a better understanding of the sociopolitical and economic changes of ancient Greece

The Module n n Traditionally religious architecture is viewed in discrete periods eg Classical Temples or Christian Basilicas Diachronic view n n n Many of the sites (not just the individual buildings) under discussion display these diachronic elements ie in use from Archaic to Early Christian times n n allows a understanding of long-term continuity & change (not just a snapshot) allows a deeper understanding of the use and significance of a site Important therefore to be able to look at the whole site Important to understand the variety of different contexts (from physical to political) Ideally this would be on site in Greece…. Solution was to develop a system to provide students with as much visual access to the sites and the individual buildings in context, as possible

Teaching methods & aims n n n As an archaeological module, the primary teaching material is visual – in this case, architecture. Critical aims and methods for the module are: First, to allow students to develop their visual skills and understanding of architecture as a reflection of society: how people used and viewed it, not simply a stylistic analysis. Second, by providing students with the facility to be able to undertake their own architectural analysis they have the opportunity to apply the methodology to other elements of their studies and research.

Solution: To provide an interactive map allowing access to a range of different sites, buildings and associated material culture from the whole time span of occupation n The students are guided through the lectures and seminars on sites and architecture that they will be studying, but using the material on Web. CT will enhance visual and interpretative skills. n

The Project n n Collate and scan as many images of sites and material culture from Greece and her colonies as possible Then build an interactive map which will allow students to move through the visual material (including art, architecture and other material culture) site by site

The materials available enable students to review key images and information (at their own pace) n Through quizzes they are asked questions about the aesthetic, technological and social aspects of ancient art which will encourage them to engage with the images more actively. n

Project design n n Main sites to be focused on were selected (range of location, date, function, type) Include: n n n Archaic: Perachora, Samos, Corinth Classical: Pan-Hellenic Sanctuaries (Acropolis, Olympia, Delphi, Dodona, Epidauvros) and local sanctuaries (Aegina, Sounion, Brauron etc) Hellenistic: Temple of Olympian Zeus, Messene, Ampharieion Roman: Sparta, Eleusis Early Christian: Basilicas (Sparta, Lechaion, Kiato), Monastery complexes (Mistras, Osios Loukas)

Image location & scanning n Each site has a number of different levels n n n n Overall Plan Close up plan of area Numerous views of architecture Associated material culture Reconstructions/further plans where relevant C. 3572 slides & images scanned over 4 months Divided into folders & passed to Rowan Crawford Built the site, site by site

Dwellings of the gods n Index n n Aegina n n . . filta_sitemessene. html Olympia n n . . filta_siteaegina. html Messene n n . . filta_siteindex. html . . filta_siteolympia. html Sparta n . . filta_sitesparta. html

Site Details n n n Overall plan of Greece: allows the student to understand the broader context Plan of the site: allows the student to understand the range of functions and chronologies found within an individual site Plan of the architecture: allows the student to explore a building with deeper contextual awareness Images of associated finds and architecture: allow the student to maintain the direct association between architecture and associated material culture which through the media of books is so often lost Questions at the beginning of each section guides the student Quizzes allow the students to test themselves

Structure in Web. CT course n n n Image Database Aids in on-line discussions Quizzes are fixed to work in conjunction with the Site n n n Recognition of different types of religious architecture (from Bronze Age to Early Christian) Recognition of architectural members such as columns, capitals and sculpture Recognition of architectural orders such as Doric and Ionic Recognition of chronological development of specific buildings Recognition of how a building and a whole complex was used

Student Learning outcomes n n A detailed understanding of the development of religious architecture and changes in Greek society. Enhancement of skills of source criticism; in particular a capacity to critically use archaeological and literary evidence in combination Enhancement of visual skills An insight into the controlled continuity and discontinuity of specific elements of the architectural form

Transferable Skills n n n n Communication & presentation skills Research Skills Archaeological skills A capacity to understand art and architecture in context Broadened cultural experience A capacity to present clear, well informed and well reasoned arguments both orally and in writing. A capacity to work in group settings in a creative and flexible fashion

Advantages of the Web. CT course n n The Web. CT course allows the student to explore the sites themselves in their own time, at their own pace Allows the student to research elements that may be of particular personal interest to them and not just material that has been covered in class Allows for accessible revision Allows access to material that might not be easily available from standard sources

Broader output DVD of Greek & Roman Images (most from RS collection which reduces copyright issues) n Now available to all Staff in Classics (from the Librarian) n Used in lectures & on Web. CT for modules such as: CL 1003, CL 1002, CL 2004, CL 4425, AN 1001, AN 2002, AN 3020, AN 5001 n New modules: CL 4426, AN 4144 n

Results n n n CL 4426 ran in Semester 2 2004 -05 19 students Student responses n n n Useful to familiarize themselves with the sites & material culture as the course progressed Compacted class information Raised interesting questions on the individual sites Particularly useful for revision A couple of criticisms on the size of the files & not being able to use computers One suggestion was enforcement of more regular use & contribution to on-line discussion

Future work n Addition of further sites; specifically urban centres e. g. : Corinth n Athens n Pella n Vergina n Addition of images of associated material culture n Improved navigation through sites n Other projects within the School of Classics n

Problems n n n Image bank is not easily searchable Issues of copyright Scanning all the images: time consuming Could add further areas (Turkey, Tunisia, Iberia) but even labelling the images is time consuming Needs better navigation Students: More & more using images in essays, dissertations etc. n n More scanners needed DVD of images to be searchable