STORIA DELL’ARCHITETTURA ANTICA E MEDIEVALE

The course aims to provide students enrolled in the second year of the degree course with the main information, tools and methods for understanding the history of architecture and the city between the 8th century B.C. and the beginning of the 15th century A.D., with reference to the Mediterranean basin, the territories of continental Europe and England. In dealing with such a vast chronological span, we will examine those works that, intertwined with the political, economic and social events that form the background, are paradigmatic of the architectural culture of the past in terms of quality of their design, complexity of the intertwining of linguistic tools, protagonists, pre-existences, functional programmes and the links that bind architecture to its urban, territorial and environmental context.

The intention is therefore to stimulate students' interest in an approach to design that is only apparently far removed from contemporary sensibilities and to urge the development of a critical capacity to recognise, for each architectural work, its belonging to a precise historical-cultural, environmental and landscape context and, at the same time, to identify its constructive, functional, formal and typological specificities.

At the end of the course, students

- will have achieved an adequate knowledge of the history of ancient and medieval architecture;

- will have developed their own method of study that will enable them, on the basis of the knowledge acquired, to independently tackle more specific research in subsequent years;

- will have learnt to critically analyse ancient and medieval architecture both in its constructional and material aspects and in its functional and linguistic aspects;

- will have acquired an adequate language that enables them to present their knowledge in an appropriate manner to an audience of both specialists and non-specialists.

The programme will be delivered through lectures, drawings, seminars and, where possible, guided visits to Syracuse and the surrounding area.

At the end of the course, a written test (optional, since course attendance is not mandatory) on Greek architecture, from the Minoan-Mycenaean civilisation to Hellenism, will be scheduled. The assessment (approved/not approved) will be valid as an exemption in the examination session and will be valid until september 2023.  

Skills acquired in secondary school are sufficient. Attendance of the course and passing the History of Contemporary Architecture exam in the first year is an added value.

Essential prerequisites are:

- a basic knowledge of ancient and medieval history and major events;

- a basic knowledge of geography;

- a correct use of the Italian language in order to acquire and master also a convenient specialised vocabulary;

- an adequate ability to read, analyse and understand texts and drawings.

Introduction to the history of ancient and medieval architecture: space, architectural culture, architects, institutions, patrons, society in history. Different methodological and interpretative approaches.

Greek Architecture

Outline of origins by comparison with other Mediterranean cultures (Egyptian and Minoan); brief excursus on Mycenaean architecture. From the Greek Dark Age to Archaism. Origins of the Greek temple: the megaron as the core of the future temple; the problem of the wooden origin of architectural orders. The great archaic buildings and ionic dipteral temples. The Classical Age and the Acropolis of Athens. The problem of attributions to Ictinus. Templar architecture during the 4th century and the Hellenism.

Roman Architecture

Notions on Etruscan architecture and the 'Great Rome of the Tarquins'. Rome in the Hellenistic Age: variety of architectural influences and trends. Large-scale use of arches and vaults; the discovery of opus caementicium. The great sanctuaries of Souther Latium in the Late Republican Age. The Roman forum, the Theatre of Pompey, the Forum of Caesar. The birth of the Corinthian order. Imperial architecture from Augustus to Constantine. Roman building types: residential buildings, baths, entertainment venues. 

Late antique culture and Christianity: problems of pagan art and Christian art. Christianity after the Constantinian edict of Milan: the need to invent monumental architecture. Central plan buildings. Between West and East: building types and systems. Architecture in the city of Ravenna. Splendour of Constantinople, Justinian and his architects.

The early Middle Ages

Carolingian architecture, "more romano", the importance of the Benedictine monastic order. Westwerk and Westbau. The Ottonian period.

Late Middle Ages

The crisis of the Holy Roman German Empire and the fear of the year 1000. Romanesque architecture in regional contexts: Germany, France, England, Italy. The pilgrimage churches. Crisis of the Benedictine Order: the monastery of Cluny, the architecture of cistercians, the Carthusians.

From 'Romanesque' to 'Gothic

General characteristics of cultural trends and the formation of space; notions on civil architecture in the Romanesque and Gothic periods. Origin and limits of the concept of Gothic, useful to define a system of architectural elements and their relationships (analysis of the system and its development over time; different masonry structures: supports, thicknesses, ribs, cross vaults, pointed or round arches, buttresses and rampant arches, windows etc.). Abbot Suger's intentions for the reconstruction of St-Denis in Paris and the advent of Gothic in the Ile-de- France. Gothic culture in the Ile-de-France. The four periods of gothic architecture. The spread of Gothic in Europe: France, England, Germany.

Italy in the Two-Thirteenth Century and its originality

The new religious orders (Franciscans, Dominicans) and their influence in architecture. The Cistercians and the spread of Gothic in Italy; the secular architecture of Frederick II. The new cathedrals (Siena, Orvieto, Florence, Milan). The communal palaces of medieval Italian cities.

Syracuse

Considering the fundamental importance of direct knowledge of the works and drawing, we recommend the on-site study, also documented with personal graphic material (drawings, sketches, studies of plans, sections, etc.), of the following buildings in Syracuse:

- temple of Apollo

- temple of Athena (cathedral of Syracuse);

- temple of Artemis (so-called Ionic temple)

- Greek theatre;

- Euryalus castle;

- Maniace castle;

- church of San Giovanni alle catacombe.

A visit to the Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum and the Palazzo Bellomo Museum is also recommended.

Essential bibliography

ROCCO G., Introduzione allo studio degli ordini architettonici antichi, Rome 1995

BOZZONI C., FRANCHETTI PARDO V., ORTOLANI G., VISCOGLIOSI A., L’architettura del mondo antico, Bari 2006

BONELLI R., BOZZONI C., FRANCHETTI PARDO V., Storia dell’architettura medievale, Bari 1997

Additional bibliography

It can be used for individual in-depth studies or as support for dissertations and restoration projects.

ADAM J.P., L’arte di costruire presso i Romani: materiali e tecniche, Milan 1989 (I ed. Paris 1984)

BERVE H., GRUBEN G., HIRMER H., I templi greci, Florence 1962

BETTINI, S., Lo spazio architettonico da Roma a Bisanzio, Bari 1978

CAIROLI F. G., L’edilizia nell’antichità, Rome 2018

COARELLI F., Roma. Guida archeologica, Rome-Bari 1980

CONANT J.K., Carolingian and Romanesque Architecture, Harmondswoth 1959 (1974)

COPPOLA G., L’edilizia nel Medioevo, Rome 2015

GRODECKI, L., L'architettura gotica, Milan 1978

KRAUTHEIMER, R., Architettura paleocristiana e bizantina, Turin 1986

KRAUTHEIMER R., Roma. Profilo di una città 312-1308, Rome 1981

KUBACH H.E., L'architettura romanica, Milan 1972

LAUTER, H., L’architettura ellenistica, Darmstadt 1986

MANGO, C., Architettura Bizantina, Milan 1974

ROCCO G., Guida alla lettura degli ordini architettonici antichi. I. Il dorico, Naples 1994

ROCCO G., Guida alla lettura degli ordini architettonici antichi. II. Lo ionico, Naples 2012

TOSCO C., L’architettura medievale in Italia 600-1200, Bologna 2016

TOSCO C., L’architettura italiana nel Duecento, Bologna 2021

WARD PERKINS, J.B., Architettura romana, Milan 1979 

The exam is individual and consists of an interview aimed at verifying the student's level of knowledge of the works and topics covered during the course. The student must be able to illustrate the most significant buildings with plans, sections, sketches and geometric diagrams. The first question is preparatory to the examination itself and concerns an ancient architectural order (Doric, Attic Ionic, Asiatic Ionic). For those taking the optional written test on Greek architecture, on the other hand, the oral exam will focus on topics following Hellenism.

The learning assessment may also be carried out on Microsof Teams, should the conditions so require. Should the course be taught in a blended or distance mode, the necessary changes may be made in order to comply with the syllabus set out here.