ISLAMIC ARCHEOLOGY AND ART HISTORY I

Course objectives

In consistency with the educational purposes of the whole teaching course, aim of the teaching unit is to give students a basic knowledge and comprehension skills in the field of ARCHEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF ISLAMIC ART I, with the help of advanced textbooks. Moreover, it will make the student able to apply the acquired knowledge in an expert and reflective way, making autonomous judgments, communicating ideas, problems and reflections in a clear and correct way, and developing the knowledge required to go further in the studies. The aim of the course is a basic knowledge of the origin and formation of Islamic material culture and artistic expression, deepening both the transition from late antiquity and the pre-Islamic Iranian civilization carried out during the first years of expansion from the Arabian Peninsula, and the resulting contributions of specific elements, from floor plans to iconography to symbols. The student will also be informed about the history of studies of the Islamic archaeology and the relations between the two Mediterranean cultures (Christian and Muslim) in the Middle Ages.

Channel 1
MICHELINA DI CESARE Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course will introduce to the architectural typologies and artistic forms developed in the dar al-Islam between the 7th and the 10th centuries through the analysis of relevant sites and monuments.
Prerequisites
None.---------------------------------------
Books
Umberto Scerrato, Grandi Civiltà. Islam, Milano, Mondadori, 1972, pp. 8-42 e 45-46 (ultimo paragrafo escluso); Oleg Grabar, Arte islamica. La formazione di una civiltà, Milano, Electa, 1989, pp. 1-234; Ugo Monneret de Villard, Introduzione allo studio dell’archeologia islamica, Venezia-Roma, Olschki, 1968, pp. 1-136 (testo aggiuntivo per i non frequentanti). Lettura consigliata: Leonardo Capezzone, Medioevo arabo. Una storia dell’Islam medievale (VII-XV secolo), Milano 2016.
Frequency
Recommended.
Exam mode
Attending students: 40% attendance (75% of the course at least); 60 % oral exam. Non-attending students: 100% oral exam.
Bibliography
Umberto Scerrato, Grandi Civiltà. Islam, Milano, Mondadori, 1972 Oleg Grabar, Arte islamica. La formazione di una civiltà, Milano, Electa, 1989 Ugo Monneret de Villard, Introduzione allo studio dell’archeologia islamica, Venezia-Roma, Olschki, 1968 Leonardo Capezzone, Medioevo arabo. Una storia dell’Islam medievale (VII-XV secolo), Milano 2016.
Lesson mode
Lectures and discussions.
MICHELINA DI CESARE Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course will introduce to the architectural typologies and artistic forms developed in the dar al-Islam between the 7th and the 10th centuries through the analysis of relevant sites and monuments.
Prerequisites
None.---------------------------------------
Books
Umberto Scerrato, Grandi Civiltà. Islam, Milano, Mondadori, 1972, pp. 8-42 e 45-46 (ultimo paragrafo escluso); Oleg Grabar, Arte islamica. La formazione di una civiltà, Milano, Electa, 1989, pp. 1-234; Ugo Monneret de Villard, Introduzione allo studio dell’archeologia islamica, Venezia-Roma, Olschki, 1968, pp. 1-136 (testo aggiuntivo per i non frequentanti). Lettura consigliata: Leonardo Capezzone, Medioevo arabo. Una storia dell’Islam medievale (VII-XV secolo), Milano 2016.
Frequency
Recommended.
Exam mode
Attending students: 40% attendance (75% of the course at least); 60 % oral exam. Non-attending students: 100% oral exam.
Bibliography
Umberto Scerrato, Grandi Civiltà. Islam, Milano, Mondadori, 1972 Oleg Grabar, Arte islamica. La formazione di una civiltà, Milano, Electa, 1989 Ugo Monneret de Villard, Introduzione allo studio dell’archeologia islamica, Venezia-Roma, Olschki, 1968 Leonardo Capezzone, Medioevo arabo. Una storia dell’Islam medievale (VII-XV secolo), Milano 2016.
Lesson mode
Lectures and discussions.
  • Lesson code1023352
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseArchaeological Sciences
  • CurriculumArcheologia preistorica, classica, medievale
  • Year3rd year
  • Duration12 months
  • SSDL-OR/11
  • CFU6