Universität Wien

090046 EX Between Empire and Ecclesia: Late Antique Milan and its Environs (2025S)

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 9 - Altertumswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 20 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes

Currently no class schedule is known.

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This excursion will focus on the late antique and early medieval remains of Milan and its surroundings, including Monza and Brescia. Milan and the wider region was very important politically and militarily in these periods, as well as serving as a religious centre for the development of Christianity. Participants will learn how and why Milan rose to prominence in the late antique period, in the context of the shifting fortunes and later collapse of the western part of the Roman Empire. They will also learn how the face of the city and its surroundings was shaped by Christianity, including the role of key figures like Ambrose of Milan. We will visit surviving buildings and archaeological remains, and will examine important objects such as reliquaries, pilgrim flasks, and processional crosses.
Participants will develop their analytical skills and critical thinking through examination of a wide range of material evidence, situated in its geographic, topographic, and socio-historical context. They will gain an in-depth understanding of late antique Milan, its history, and its importance within a wider Mediterranean context.

Assessment and permitted materials

Students will be assessed on the basis of active participation, an in-situ oral presentation, and the production of a written handout on the topic of their presentation.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Assessment will be based on attendance and participation (20%), oral presentation (50%), and written handout (30%).

Examination topics

Topics will be different for each student. A list of topics will be available when we have the final list of participants.

Reading list

This is a selection of basic reading. Participants will need to do more specialized reading on the topic of their presentations.

Brühl, C. (1989). Die Stätten der Herrschaftsausübung in Mailand von der spätantike zum Hohen Mittelalter. In: Atti dell’11 Congresso internazionale di studi sull’alto Medioevo, Milano, 26-30 ottobre 1987. Spoleto: Centro Italiano di studi sull’alto Medioevo.

Collins, S. (2012). From Martyrs’ Cults to Confessors’ Cults in Late Antique Milan: The Mosaics of San Vittore in Ciel d’Oro. Journal of Late Antiquity 5.2, pp.225-249.

Fieni, L. (2008). The Art of Building in Milan During Late Antiquity: San Lorenzo Maggiore. In: L. Lavan ed., Local Economies? Production and Exchange of Inland Regions in Late Antiquity. Leiden: Brill, pp.407-433.

Fuhrer, T. ed. (2012). Rom und Mailand in der Spätantike. Repräsentationen städtischer Räume in Literatur, Architektur und Kunst. Berlin: De Gruyter.

Lox, M. (2013). Monumenta Sanctorum: Rom und Mailand als Zentren des Fruhen Christentums: Martyrerkult und Kirchenbau unter den Bischofen Damasus Und Ambrosius. Reichert.

Mackie, G. (1995). Symbolism and Purpose in an Early Christian Martyr Chapel: The Case of San Vittore in Ciel d’Oro, Milan. Gesta 34.2, pp.91-101.

Urbano, A. P. (2020). In the Company of Wisdom: Transforming Cemeteries into Spaces of Learning in Late Antique Milan. Journal of Early Christian Studies 28.4, pp.555-590.

Association in the course directory

Anrechenbar:
im BA: M8, M13;
im MA: PM3;

Last modified: Tu 25.03.2025 08:05