| CODE | LAS1105 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Music in the Ancient World | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | I - Introductory Level | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This Unit explores music’s role, significance, and development in ancient civilisations, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and others. Students will examine the musical instruments, theoretical frameworks, cultural significance, and music-related archaeological artefacts from these cultures. The learning experience will be enhanced through interactive and hands-on activities. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the Unit the student will be able to: - Identify, classify, and describe different types of ancient musical instruments, their functions, and the - cultural contexts in which they were used. - List and differentiate between the musical traditions of various ancient cultures. - Describe the significance of music—its impact on social structures, religious rituals, and events—in various ancient cultures. 2. Skills: By the end of the Unit the student will be able to: - Use written texts, iconography, and archaeological evidence to explore ancient musical traditions. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Comotti, Giovanni. 1989. Music in Greek and Roman Culture (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press) - McKinnon, James. 1987. Music in Early Christian Literature (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) - Manniche, Lise. 1991. Music and Musicians in Ancient Egypt (London: British Museum Press) - Morley, Iain. 2013. The Prehistory of Music (Oxford: Oxford University Press) - Sadie, Stanley (ed.). 2001. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edn (London:Macmillan) Supplementary Readings: - Barker, Andrew. 1984. Greek Musical Writings Volume I The Musician and his Art (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) - Correa Caceres, Juan Sebastian. 2023. The Aulos in Classical and Late Antiquity: Acculturation, Diffusion, and Syncretism in Socio-Musical Processes of the Mediterranean (Berlin: Logos) - Braun, Joachim. 2002. Music in Ancient Israel/Palestine: Archaeological, Written, and Comparative Sources (Grand Rapids, Michigan and Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company). - Dumbrill, Richard J. 2005. The Archaeomusicology of the Near East (Victoria and Oxford: Trafford Publishing). - European Music Archaeology Project. 2015. < http://www.emaproject.eu/>[accessed 25 March 2025] - The British Museum. 2025. ‘A history of world music in 15 instruments’, <https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/history-world-music-15-instruments> - West, Martin Litchfield. 1992. Ancient Greek Music (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, Clarendon Press) - World History Encyclopedia. 2025. <https://www.worldhistory.org/> |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lectures, Project and Online Learning | ||||||||||||
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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