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ARCH31040

Academic Year 2025/2026

The Art of Greek Emotions (ARCH31040)

Subject:
Archaeology
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Archaeology
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Amanda Kelly
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

The module will explore a broad range of human emotions through the lens of the material culture of ancient Greece (subthemes include rage, fear, grief, envy, hate, pride, disgust, guilt, pride, joy, love and desire). Exploration will involve discourse on Archaic and Classical sculpture, painted pottery, epigraphy, temple and treasury architecture, frescos and mosaics. These material explorations will be bolstered by textual evidence interwoven through each case study. The textual complement will showcase expressions of rage in epic poetry, the personal voices of grief etched on tombstones, ancient debates on cowardice, the ever-present envy of the Greek gods in literature, age-old punishable pride, and ancient attitudes to sculpture and its viewership. The study will also shine a spotlight on human-animal bonds and the range of emotions felt for household pets in the Classical world.

The module will appeal to anyone with an appreciation of art, psychology, Greek and Roman archaeology and the historic past. While passages of text will be discussed, no knowledge of Latin or Ancient Greek is necessary, translations of all text will be provided.

Helpful Readings include:
Arrington, N. 2014 Fallen Vessels and Risen Spirits: Conveying the Presence of the Dead on White-Ground Lekythoi. In John Oakley (ed) Athenian Potters and Painters III : Athenian Potters and Painters III. Oxbow Books, 1–10.
Chaniotis, A. (ed.) 2012 Unveiling Emotions: Sources and Methods for the Study of Emotions in the Greek World. Habes 52. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
Chaniotis, A. 2018 The Social Construction of Emotion: a view from ancient Greece. Weeping and veiling: grief, display, and concealment in ancient Greek culture. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 24, 56–61.
Chaniotis, A. 2021 Unveiling Emotions III: arousal, display, and performance of emotions in the Greek world. Heidelberger Althistorische Beiträge und Epigraphische Studien, 63. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
Clarke, J.R. 2007 Looking at laughter : humor, power, and transgression in Roman visual culture, 100 B.C.–A.D. 250. Ahmanson Murphy fine arts imprint. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Halliwell, S. 2008 Greek Laughter: A Study of Cultural Psychology from Homer to Early Christianity. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press.
Haynes, M. 2013 Framing a View of the Unviewable: Architecture, Aphrodite, and Erotic Looking in the Lucianic Erôtes. Helios 40, 71–95.
Konstan, D. 2006 The Emotions of the Ancient Greeks. Studies in Aristotle and Classical Literature. University of Toronto.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Students will gain an understanding of Classical Greek social norms (and by extension be able to question modern ideals) through assessments of emotion as expressed through architecture, art, epigraphy and cultural practice. Students will gain a appreciation of :
*The complex range of emotions that define our species
*The range of emotions we share with other species
*Aesthetics of the human form
*Social norms, patronage and social hierarchies
*Politics, propaganda and artistic expression
*Evolving city- and temple-scapes and urban dynamics
*Classical views of war, bravery, fear and cowardice
*Discern different voices (the public and formal, the personal, the private, the spontaneous)
*Empathy, for both those societies that preceded ours and our contemporary society

Relevant transferable skills :
*A keen analytical perspective
*Heightened communication skills
*Descriptive fluency
*Political and historical awareness

Indicative Module Content:

While the module will cover a broader range of emotions, there will be an emphasis on the following key issues:
1. Grief – shared, public and collective, intergenerational, personal and long-lasting, including the grief experienced on losing a household pet.
2. Love – concepts of beauty and the male gaze.
3. Rage – epic anger and destructive forces.
4. Envy – divine retribution.
5. Joy – friendship scenes, familial piety, laughter and humour.
6. The unemotional, the observer, the academic.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24

Specified Learning Activities

50

Autonomous Student Learning

26

Total

100


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The content of this module is self-reflective by nature, but I also aim to help students explore and communicate their emotional responses to Greek art, text and architecture through analytical reasoning and empathic expression.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Mid-term assignment analysing a topic raised in class. Week 5 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
30
No
Assignment(Including Essay): The student will negotiate a topic and an analytical approach with the lecturer and decide on how best to deliver their findings for the final assessment. Week 12 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
70
No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mon 15:00 - 15:50
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 2, 5 Wed 11:00 - 11:50