ARTH708E

This graduate seminar will take an in-depth look at the celebrated site of Bronze Age (ca. 3000-1000 B.C.) Pylos, located in SW Messenia, Greece. Using architectural and artifactual remains, we will explore the site and its showpiece, the "Palace of Nestor," from a dual archeological-art historical perspective- querying the methods of its excavation and the formal and technical qualities of its architecture and artifacts. Special emphasis will be placed on the site's painted murals, which are among the oldest in mainland Europe, and their methods of study and reconstruction. The course will combine lecture with student-led discussions and presentations, and will make use of primary materials.