ARCHAEOLOGY OF PREISLAMIC IRAN
Course objectives
In consistency with the educational purposes of the whole teaching course, aim of the teaching unit is to give students knowledge and comprehension skills in the field of ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE PREISLAMIC IRAN, that complete and/or reinforce those acquired in the first grade of studies. Moreover, it will make the students able to approach orginal themes in a research context, making more complex judgments, communicating knowledge and its process, and studying the subject in an independent and self-educational way. The course aims to provide an overview of the most important issues relating to the archeology of the Iranian pre-Islamic world.
Channel 1
GIULIO MARESCA
Lecturers' profile
Program - Frequency - Exams
Course program
During the current academic year, the course lectures will cover Iron Age III and the subsequent Achaemenid period (6th-4th centuries BCE), up to the conquest of Iran by Alexander the Great. Using a diachronic approach, the main archaeological evidence concerning settlements and material culture in Iran during this broad chronological span will be presented. Furthermore, the aspects related to the geographical context of pre-Islamic Iran that most significantly impacted the socio-economic and historical-cultural development of the area in question will also be analyzed from an archaeological perspective.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites are required. However, a basic knowledge of the history of pre-Islamic Iran is strongly recommended
Books
A detailed bibliography, including specific information for non-attending students, will be provided at the beginning of the course (in the second semester). Furthermore, during the lectures, additional scientific articles, monographs, and other readings useful for a critical in-depth analysis of the topics covered will be recommended. All required materials for the exam (encyclopedia entries, articles, book chapters) that are not freely available online will be made available to students in PDF format. It is also possible to consult the texts in the professor's office by appointment.
Teaching mode
Lectures concerning specific issues related to the archaeology of pre-Islamic Iran, supported by multimedia presentations and followed by discussions aimed at developing the students’ methodological rigour and stimulating their critical reflexions.
Multimedia presentations designed to summarise the main concepts discussed during each lesson and to display the analysed archaeological and iconographic evidence as well as related maps, plans and graphs will be used as teaching materials.
Frequency
Classes are taught in person
Exam mode
Oral examination aimed at both assessing the student's overall level of knowledge (with particular reference to methodological aspects and the historical-geographical contextualization of the archaeological evidence discussed during the course) and verifying the achievement of specific skills. These skills include the critical ability to analyze and synthesize the topics and concepts presented, and the command of appropriate specialized terminology. To ensure a more effective assessment, students are strongly encouraged to bring all graphic and photographic material provided by the Professor to the exam
Bibliography
A detailed bibliography, including specific information for non-attending students, will be provided at the beginning of the course (in the second semester). Furthermore, during the lectures, additional scientific articles, monographs, and other readings useful for a critical in-depth analysis of the topics covered will be recommended. All required materials for the exam (encyclopedia entries, articles, book chapters) that are not freely available online will be made available to students in PDF format. It is also possible to consult the texts in the professor's office by appointment.
Lesson mode
Lectures concerning specific issues related to the archaeology of pre-Islamic Iran, supported by multimedia presentations and followed by discussions aimed at developing the students’ methodological rigour and stimulating their critical reflexions.
Multimedia presentations designed to summarise the main concepts discussed during each lesson and to display the analysed archaeological and iconographic evidence as well as related maps, plans and graphs will be used as teaching materials.
GIULIO MARESCA
Lecturers' profile
Program - Frequency - Exams
Course program
During the current academic year, the course lectures will cover Iron Age III and the subsequent Achaemenid period (6th-4th centuries BCE), up to the conquest of Iran by Alexander the Great. Using a diachronic approach, the main archaeological evidence concerning settlements and material culture in Iran during this broad chronological span will be presented. Furthermore, the aspects related to the geographical context of pre-Islamic Iran that most significantly impacted the socio-economic and historical-cultural development of the area in question will also be analyzed from an archaeological perspective.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites are required. However, a basic knowledge of the history of pre-Islamic Iran is strongly recommended
Books
A detailed bibliography, including specific information for non-attending students, will be provided at the beginning of the course (in the second semester). Furthermore, during the lectures, additional scientific articles, monographs, and other readings useful for a critical in-depth analysis of the topics covered will be recommended. All required materials for the exam (encyclopedia entries, articles, book chapters) that are not freely available online will be made available to students in PDF format. It is also possible to consult the texts in the professor's office by appointment.
Teaching mode
Lectures concerning specific issues related to the archaeology of pre-Islamic Iran, supported by multimedia presentations and followed by discussions aimed at developing the students’ methodological rigour and stimulating their critical reflexions.
Multimedia presentations designed to summarise the main concepts discussed during each lesson and to display the analysed archaeological and iconographic evidence as well as related maps, plans and graphs will be used as teaching materials.
Frequency
Classes are taught in person
Exam mode
Oral examination aimed at both assessing the student's overall level of knowledge (with particular reference to methodological aspects and the historical-geographical contextualization of the archaeological evidence discussed during the course) and verifying the achievement of specific skills. These skills include the critical ability to analyze and synthesize the topics and concepts presented, and the command of appropriate specialized terminology. To ensure a more effective assessment, students are strongly encouraged to bring all graphic and photographic material provided by the Professor to the exam
Bibliography
A detailed bibliography, including specific information for non-attending students, will be provided at the beginning of the course (in the second semester). Furthermore, during the lectures, additional scientific articles, monographs, and other readings useful for a critical in-depth analysis of the topics covered will be recommended. All required materials for the exam (encyclopedia entries, articles, book chapters) that are not freely available online will be made available to students in PDF format. It is also possible to consult the texts in the professor's office by appointment.
Lesson mode
Lectures concerning specific issues related to the archaeology of pre-Islamic Iran, supported by multimedia presentations and followed by discussions aimed at developing the students’ methodological rigour and stimulating their critical reflexions.
Multimedia presentations designed to summarise the main concepts discussed during each lesson and to display the analysed archaeological and iconographic evidence as well as related maps, plans and graphs will be used as teaching materials.
- Lesson code1038566
- Academic year2025/2026
- CourseArchaeology
- CurriculumArchitettura città paesaggio
- Year2nd year
- Duration12 months
- SSDL-OR/16
- CFU6