The Easter 2011 Experience

For a select but highly excited group of second year Ancient History and Archaeology students, along with a large and eager gathering of US Study Abroad students, Easter 2011 saw the latest academic encounter with Rome in the form of the now long-established Rome Study Tour. Active since 1997 as an ancient historical alternative to the AR3044 fieldwork module, the Study Tour offers a fantastic week-long opportunity to visit, see, examine, scrutinise and caress (whoa, steady!) Republican, imperial, early Christian and later monuments in the Eternal City!

Overseen by Dr Neil Christie of the School of Archaeology and Ancient History and Paul Beavitt of the International Office, and with more than able support from Ancient History lecturer Dr Gillian Ramsey, the tour comprises detailed visits to a variety of sites and structures in Rome, and in its environs, across the course of a week. (And there's even time to go see the Pope!)

For the city itself the tour seeks to provide a detailed progression from Roman through to medieval, although Rome is so packed with monuments, churches, palazzi and museums that it is impossible to follow things in an easy chronological order. Thus we show especially the way that the old is mixed with the new, recycled and reused, allowing us to question why certain monuments survive, why others do not, and how functions evolve through time. One key structure is of course the Pantheon (pictured on the left), first built in the time of the first emperor Augustus by the general Agrippa, but wholly rebuilt by Hadrian (yet retaining Agrippa's dedication), then restored in the third century by Severus and then, despite the rise of Christianity, enduring as a piece of Roman heritage until converted into a church in the seventh century. This new role then allowed its survival through the Middle Ages till today.

Visits to the vast open museum of the old and the imperial fora are essential and here we see a real layering of archaeology and history, going back to the fourth century BC and extending to the seventh century AD: more than a millennium of activity, building, and display. The Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Baths of Diocletian and Trajan's Column are sights of amazing survival and quality; to these we add visits to a select number of churches, some fifth century in date, many with excellent early medieval mosaics on walls and floors.

Outside of Rome we treat the students to visits to one of Rome's catacombs, to the port site of Ostia (illustrated here), the villa of Hadrian at Tivoli and also the Etruscan necropolis (city of the dead) at Cerveteri, approximately 50 km north of Rome (yes, coach provided!). We pack much in, but the chance to see so much is fantastic, and as tasty as the ice creams (gelati) that were regularly consumed.

Maybe you can join us on the trip next year?