Ancient Jewelry and Metalwork

This seminar covers topics in jewelry and metalwork from the earliest remains of personal adornments in the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods to the ornate jewelry and plate made and used in Roman imperial times. The beginnings of ancient metallurgy, the technology of metals, and ancient jewelry-making techniques are examined. References in ancient texts are used to provide information about jewelry and metal objects that were noteworthy in antiquity but no longer survive. Collections of finds from the great excavated sites are discussed, including those from the Royal Cemetery of Ur; the royal tombs of Alaca Hüyük; the treasure of Priam from Troy; the royal shaft graves at Mycenae; the tomb of Tutankhamen; the sites of Gordion, Hasanlu, Marlik, and Nimrud; Greek sanctuaries and burial sites; Scythian, Celtic, and Etruscan tombs; and the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 3 credits. Satisfies the pre-1800 or non-Western requirement.