Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

What made the Mediterranean Sea the centre of gravity for so many ancient civilisations? Who built megalithic temples on Malta and astounding palaces and sanctuaries on Crete? Who were the Mycenaeans? What triggered the transition from egalitarian to ranked societies? How did the earliest Etruscan and Greek cities arose, and why? The module will address these questions (among others) and explore the socio-political trajectories taken by Mediterranean communities and polities from the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition to the Iron Age, c.10,000 to 500 BC. As part of this fascinating armchair journey, we will explore as diverse themes as the spread of the Neolithic way of life; the emergence of social complexity in Copper Age Iberia; the rise and fall of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations in the Bronze Age Aegean; and the emergence of urban societies in Iron Age Greece and Italy. The module includes in-person thematic lectures, seminars, and student presentations. Online material such as lecture videos and revision quizzes are available on Canvas. The lectures present overviews of cultural frameworks and social developments; the seminars provide opportunities to discuss current problems in later Mediterranean prehistory; and the online resources offer meaningful opportunities to test and deepen your subject knowledge. By the end of the semester, you will be conversant with the main cultural frameworks of later Mediterranean prehistory, major social developments occurring in the region from the Neolithic to the Iron Age, and selected problems of scholarly debate.

The aims of the module are:
• To provide students with a critical overview of cultural and social developments in the prehistoric Mediterranean, c.10,000-500 BC.
• To provide students with in-depth knowledge and understanding of selected themes and subjects in later Mediterranean prehistory.
• To provide students with a critical understanding of key social transformations in the prehistoric Mediterranean, with particular reference to the spread of the Neolithic way of life, the emergence of social complexity, and the rise of pre-classical urban societies.

Outline Of Syllabus

Themes explored during the module may include: Mediterranean landscapes and seascapes; the emergence and spread of the Neolithic way of life; the Copper Age in Italy and Malta; the emergence of social complexity in Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Iberia; the Minoan and Mycenaeans civilisations; the Bronze and Iron Ages in Italy including the early Etruscans; and urbanism and state formation in Iron Age Italy and Greece.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

- A critical overview of cultural and social developments in the prehistoric Mediterranean, c.10,000-500 BC.
- In-depth knowledge and understanding of selected themes and subjects in later Mediterranean prehistory.
- A critical understanding of social and cultural transformations in the prehistoric Mediterranean, with particular reference to the spread of the Neolithic way of life, the emergence of social complexity, and the rise of pre-classical urban societies.

Intended Skill Outcomes

• An ability to assimilate and critically evaluate a rich and diverse range of data.
• An ability to assess and discuss key problems and contrasting scholarly opinions in later Mediterranean prehistory.
• Advanced oral communication skills and critical thinking through seminar discussions, the formative assignment, and summative assignments.
• Advanced written communication skills through summative assignments.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures provide in-depth knowledge concerning key themes and topics. Seminars promote debate over, and critical evaluation of, the themes and topics covered in the lectures. Student project presentations (aka workshops) improve student communication skills and provide an opportunity for reviewed formative assessment. Structured research and reading activities, including weekly revision quizzes and online resources, test student understanding and provide further opportunities for interactive learning.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The assessed project enables students to work originally, independently and in-depth on a theme, region or period of their choice in Mediterranean prehistory, from the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition to the emergence of classical civilisations. The project is operationally split into two components: PowerPoint presentation (25%), which the students submit having received feedback during an oral class presentation (formative assessment), and a 3000 word essay that develops the topic at greater critical depth.

Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. Where an exam is present, an alternative form of assessment will be set and where coursework is present, an alternative deadline will be set. Details of the alternative assessment will be provided by the module leader.

General Notes

Recommended textbook: Broodbank, C. 2013. The Making of the Middle Sea. London: Thames & Hudson