Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Learning outcomes

After passing the course, the student should be able to:

• demonstrate in-depth knowledge of a selection of ancient sanctuaries in Greece and Asia Minor with regard to their origin, location and architectural development,
• reflect upon how the cult was organised in different types of sanctuaries and how this effected the interaction between gods and humans,
• critically assess how literary, epigraphical and archaeological sources present the development of sanctuaries and ritual practices from the historical period until the arrival of Christianity.

Content

During the course, the students discuss what characterizes an ancient sanctuary (origins, location, design, architecture) as well as different types of sanctuaries (e.g. Panhellenic, oracular, for incubation, hero-cults). Furthermore, the activities housed within ancient cult places are explored, in particular from the perspective of the interaction between gods and humans and how this affected the layout of the sanctuary. A central theme of the course is how the ancient sources (texts, inscriptions, images and archaeological remains) reflect the development of sanctuaries from ca. 1000 BC to the impact and transformations caused by Christianity.

Instruction

Teaching is given in the form of lectures and seminars.

Assessment

Examination is done through group work, active seminar participation, written assignments and home exam.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.