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Scope

Classical Archaeology is a historical cultural science whose scope encompasses the cultures of Greek and Roman antiquity. Its geographical scope includes Greece, Asia Minor, and Italy, but is in principle open-ended, since the Greeks and Romans engaged in close interaction with various neighboring Mediterranean cultures throughout different historical periods. The temporal boundaries are defined, on the one hand, by the advanced civilizations of the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BCE, Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean cultures of the Aegean) and the Etruscan-Italian cultures of the Apennine Peninsula, and, on the other hand, by the end of the Roman Empire and Late Antiquity (4th/5th century CE).

The subject matter of the discipline is the material legacy of ancient cultures. This includes visual evidence such as architecture, sculpture, painting, and ceramics. As factors of historical contexts, they must be reconstructed within their context of use and their original function. These contexts include public and private life, politics, the economy, sanctuaries, rituals, and burial practices. The goal of the discipline is to study natural and man-made environments as well as ancient ways of life.

Classical Archaeology examines the creation, design, and use of landscapes and living environments (from huts to large cities), people’s self-conception and perception of their living environment, and the implementation and mechanisms of visual communication across various media.

Interconnections with Other Subjects

Classical Archaeology relies on the diverse surviving Greek and Latin written sources and literary texts to interpret archaeological monuments within their respective historical contexts and against their social, cultural-historical, and religious backgrounds. It is therefore closely related to Ancient History, Classical Philology, and the History of Ancient Religions. Classical Archaeology shares methodological, temporal, and spatial parallels with Provincial Roman Archaeology and Christian Archaeology. The disciplines of Prehistory and Early History, Egyptology, and Near Eastern Archaeology deal with key aspects of Greco-Roman antiquity, and there are also spatial and temporal overlaps among these fields. There are also points of intersection with other disciplines within the cultural studies that seek to provide insights into the fundamental functioning of cultures and societies.

Introductory Literature on Classical Archaeology

T. Hölscher, Klassische Archäologie. Grundwissen (2002)
A. H. Borbein – T. Hölscher – P. Zanker, Klassische Archäologie. Eine Einführung (2000)
R. Bianchi Bandinelli, Klassische Archäologie. Eine kritische Einführung (1978)
J. Bergemann, Orientierung Archäologie. Was sie kann, was sie will (2000)
U. Sinn, Einführung in die Klassische Archäologie (2000)
Der Neue Pauly 14 (2000) 901-953 s.v. Klassische Archäologie (H. G. Niemeyer – B. Schweizer)
F. Lang, Klassische Archäologie (2002) .
H. G. Nesselrath (Hrsg.), Einleitung in die griechische Philologie (1997), Archaische Zeit S. 585-608 (W. Martini), Klassik S. 609-634 (A. H. Borbein), Hellenismus S. 635-658 (R. Fleischer), Kaiserzeit S. 659-677 (D. Willers), Spätantike S. 678-693 (D. Willers), Griechische Numismatik S. 694-707 (H. A. Cahn).
F. Graf (Hrsg.), Einleitung in die lateinische Philologie (1997), Kunst und Archäologie Roms S. 601-654 (H. v. Hesberg), Die Archäologie der römischen Provinzen S. 655-669 (R. Fellmann), Römische Numismatik S. 670-696 (H.-M. v. Kaenel).