SNRSCH1471 - ARTH 2215 - The Art of the Byzantine Empire

Course Description

If you saw a saint in a dream, how would you recognize them? Is a dome only structural, or can it also be symbolic? How did artists represent God in a picture - or not? These questions, and more, were explored by the people of the Mediterranean during the period of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, during which the ancient Roman world transformed into the culture of the Eastern Roman Empire - what we often call Byzantium. In this class, we especially consider the religious pluralism of Late Antiquity; the social and religious functions of images and architecture; the purpose of icons; and the settings where these objects were found, including imperial capitals, monasteries and churches. We will use the wealth of local resources in and around Philadelphia to examine manuscripts, relics, coins and other objects from this culture up clos