Documentation and Analysis of Ancient Buildings

Academic Programs - Documentation and Analysis of Ancient Buildings

Overview

“Documentation and Analysis of Ancient Buildings” is a three-week course that offers an intensive introduction to the documentation, analysis, and interpretation of ancient architecture. Designed for students from all backgrounds, the course will introduce students to buildings analysis through three types of experience.

Architectural remains represent the largest and most conspicuous body of material evidence for the study of antiquity. At the same time, ancient buildings are fragmented and highly modified artifacts with long life cycles of construction, decay, and reconstruction. The analysis and documentation of ancient buildings is thus an opportunity to understand buildings in time, to make sense of them as social and historical artifact, and to address the issues of interpretative documentation and recording of the past.

This three-week course offers an intensive introduction to the documentation, analysis, and interpretation of ancient architecture. Designed for students from all backgrounds, the course will introduce students to buildings analysis through three types of experience. Students will carry out original fieldwork at a Roman temple (the so-called Temple A at Largo Argentina), where they will learn how to produce plans and sections of a complex site using a combination of digital surveying and hand drawings. Afternoon classroom lectures will introduce students to the basic principles of ancient design and construction, as well as to some theoretical questions related to the study and documentation of historical architecture. Finally, weekend field trips to architectural sites in and around Rome will provide an occasion to discuss examples of historical and modern preservation strategies and their approaches in creating ideas of the past through “designing” a ruin.

In collaboration with ETH Zurich (Institut für Denkmalpflege und Bauforschung, Prof. U. Hassler) and the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali.

Dates

June 13–29, 2016.

Application Deadline

January 31, 2016.

Instructors

Instructors: Stephan Zink is a research fellow at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, where he teaches courses on building archaeology, documentation and construction. He has a PhD in classical archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania, and is the author of a forthcoming book on the architecture of the Palatine sanctuary of Apollo. He specializes in the architecture and design of Roman buildings of the Augustan age, and has worked for many years on the Palatine.

Dipl. Ing. Jens Pflug is a researcher at the Division of Building Archaeology of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) in Berlin. As a trained architect with a degree from the Technical University of Cottbus, he has extensively worked on the architectural documentation and analysis of the Imperial palaces on the Palatine. Currently, he is finishing his dissertation on the architecture of the Palatine Domus Augustana. His specialization lies in Roman Imperial architecture and in methods of architectural documentation.

Costs

Tuition is €2300/$2,560.

Housing is available at the American Academy for those who require it. A shared room in an apartment is €550, and a single room is €935. Room availability cannot be guaranteed and applicants should indicate their need for housing in their application. Housing at the Academy is recommended as it makes participation easier and adds to the communal experience.

Meals can be purchased at the Academy (€15 for lunch, €27 for dinner). Meals may also be prepared in AAR’s communal kitchens.

Eligibility

Admission is competitive as the class size will be limited. The course is intended for graduate students and professionals from archaeology, history, architecture, historic conservation and preservation, and other allied fields. Advanced undergraduates should consult the instructor before applying. Applicants from outside American universities are most welcome. Days will be hot, long, and strenuous, and all applicants should be prepared with the proper level of fitness and appropriate clothing.

How to Apply

A complete application consists of a cover letter explaining why the program is of interest, a curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation. Applications and all supporting materials, including recommendations, should be sent by email. The letters of recommendation must be sent directly by the individual referees.

All application materials, including any requests for housing, should be sent to archdoc [at] aarome.org (archdoc[at]aarome[dot]org).