This course provides an introduction to the visual culture and art forms of the Italo-Roman world from the
Early Iron Age to the beginning of Late Antiquity. The course examines the developmental arcs of art
forms in various spheres (public, private, sacred, funereal) and considers key media (sculpture, painting,
mosaic, decorative arts). Notable case studies include art in the Vesuvian cities (Pompeii, Herculaneum,
Stabiae), the Roman port of Ostia Antica, provincial art in the Roman empire (western and eastern
provinces, North Africa), the public art and iconographic programs of key emperors including Augustus,
Nero, Trajan, Hadrian, and Constantine I. Case studies provide the opportunity not only to engage with
canonical objects and the visual culture of the Roman world but also to explore art forms in context in
order to appreciate the role played by objects in ancient societies.