Oriental languages and civilizations

An introduction to the art and architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, from the Bronze age to the 8th century. Indus Valley Civilization (ca. 2600-1800 BCE): town planning, architecture, pictorial arts, seals. Protohistory in the Deccan: megaliths and other findings of the Iron age horizon. The Mauryas (320-185 BCE): monumental architecture; rock-cut cult places; dynastic art (Aśoka's pillars: morphology, symbolic meaning and their supposed relationship with Buddhism). The earliest architectural and artistic evidence of Buddhism (II century BCE - I century CE): stūpas, monasteries, pictorial arts and patronage in major sites of northern and central India (Bharhut, Sanchi, Bhaja). The Kushan period (I-III centuries CE). Profile of the two main and most influential Buddhist artistic traditions: Gandhāra and Mathurā; the Buddha's earliest anthropomorphic depictions; the creation of a narrative repertoire; assimilation and elaboration of artistic elements of Western originis; the Kushan dynastic component. The Andhra region: Buddhist settlements in the Krishna basin (Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda). Art and architecture under the Guptas (IV-VI centuries CE): the Hindu iconographic repertoire; the Hindu temple; Buddhist art of the Gupta epoch. The Buddhist monastery of Ajanta. A southern dynasty; the Pallavas (VI-VIII centuries CE): rock-cut temples, monolithic temples, and structural temples at Mamallapuram. The origins of the medieval Hindu temple: the Rajasimhesvara temple of Kanchipuram. Ellora: the Kailasanatha Temple (Cave 16)

Textbook on protohistory. S. Huntington, The Art of Ancient India, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, New York – Tokyo 1985, following chapters: 2, 3, 4, 5 (pp. 56-85), 6, 8 (pp. 126-130 [Royal Shrines], 150-162 [Mathura]), 9, 10, 12 (Ajanta only), 13, 14, 15, 16. On Gandharan art: L. Giuliano, Una introduzione all'arte del Gandhara, Roma, Artemide, 2010, pp. 15-48.

Attendance is not compulsory, but it is recommended.

The exam consists of questions concerning the topics covered in the course: the description of an artistic phenomenon, an archaeological site, a specific class of archaeological finds, or any other theme included in the programme. In addition to the knowledge of the specific topic and to the ability to express himself/herself properly, the student must demonstrate to have understood the relationship linking the archaeological evidence with the historical, cultural and/or religious context it belongs to.

The course will take place in one semester and will consist of frontal lessons, with the constant support of photographic material (maps, plans, detailed pictures of monuments and artworks).