ISLAMIC ARCHEOLOGY AND ART HISTORY I

Course objectives

The purpose of the course is to provide student with a basic knowledge of the origin and the formation of Islamic material culture and artistic expression, with laboration both of the passage from late antiquity and from Iranian civilization, during the first years of expansion outside the Arabic peninsula, and of the resulting contributions of specific elements, from plans to iconography to symbols. Furthermore, the student will be acquainted with the history of the studies of Islamic archaeology and of the relations among the Mediterranean cultures (Christian and Islamic) in the Middle Ages.

Channel 1
MICHELINA DI CESARE Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course will introduce to the architectural typologies and artistic forms developed in the dar al-Islam between the 7th and the 10th centuries through the analysis of relevant sites and monuments.
Prerequisites
None.---------------------------------------
Books
Umberto Scerrato, Grandi Civiltà. Islam, Milano, Mondadori, 1972, pp. 8-42 e 45-46 (ultimo paragrafo escluso); Oleg Grabar, Arte islamica. La formazione di una civiltà, Milano, Electa, 1989, pp. 1-234; Ugo Monneret de Villard, Introduzione allo studio dell’archeologia islamica, Venezia-Roma, Olschki, 1968, pp. 1-136 (testo aggiuntivo per i non frequentanti). Lettura consigliata: Leonardo Capezzone, Medioevo arabo. Una storia dell’Islam medievale (VII-XV secolo), Milano 2016.
Frequency
Recommended.
Exam mode
Attending students: 40% attendance (75% of the course at least); 60 % oral exam. Non-attending students: 100% oral exam.
Bibliography
Umberto Scerrato, Grandi Civiltà. Islam, Milano, Mondadori, 1972 Oleg Grabar, Arte islamica. La formazione di una civiltà, Milano, Electa, 1989 Ugo Monneret de Villard, Introduzione allo studio dell’archeologia islamica, Venezia-Roma, Olschki, 1968 Leonardo Capezzone, Medioevo arabo. Una storia dell’Islam medievale (VII-XV secolo), Milano 2016.
Lesson mode
Lectures and discussions.
MICHELINA DI CESARE Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course will introduce to the architectural typologies and artistic forms developed in the dar al-Islam between the 7th and the 10th centuries through the analysis of relevant sites and monuments.
Prerequisites
None.---------------------------------------
Books
Umberto Scerrato, Grandi Civiltà. Islam, Milano, Mondadori, 1972, pp. 8-42 e 45-46 (ultimo paragrafo escluso); Oleg Grabar, Arte islamica. La formazione di una civiltà, Milano, Electa, 1989, pp. 1-234; Ugo Monneret de Villard, Introduzione allo studio dell’archeologia islamica, Venezia-Roma, Olschki, 1968, pp. 1-136 (testo aggiuntivo per i non frequentanti). Lettura consigliata: Leonardo Capezzone, Medioevo arabo. Una storia dell’Islam medievale (VII-XV secolo), Milano 2016.
Frequency
Recommended.
Exam mode
Attending students: 40% attendance (75% of the course at least); 60 % oral exam. Non-attending students: 100% oral exam.
Bibliography
Umberto Scerrato, Grandi Civiltà. Islam, Milano, Mondadori, 1972 Oleg Grabar, Arte islamica. La formazione di una civiltà, Milano, Electa, 1989 Ugo Monneret de Villard, Introduzione allo studio dell’archeologia islamica, Venezia-Roma, Olschki, 1968 Leonardo Capezzone, Medioevo arabo. Una storia dell’Islam medievale (VII-XV secolo), Milano 2016.
Lesson mode
Lectures and discussions.
  • Lesson code1023352
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseStudies in Art History
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year3rd year
  • Semester1st semester
  • SSDL-OR/11
  • CFU6