Museum of Ancient Cultures
Art from the Pax Romana
The Museum of Ancient Cultures needs artifacts from ancient Rome! Because of your expertise in ancient civilizations you have been chosen as curators this term.
The museum only has space for a limited number of artifacts, so the Board of Directors has arranged a competition. You must locate an artifact, research it, and present your findings. If you're successful, your artifact will go on display.
What's a curator?
Museum curators acquire artifacts for the museum. They know enough about the artifacts' construction to insure that they are displayed in a manner that preserves them. Curators also research cultural information about artifacts and interpret that information into displays that help the public understand the people who made them.
YOUR CHALLENGE
Fill the Museum with replicas representing the Roman culture from 27 BC to AD 180.
Research your artifact, its culture, and major events that happened in the area during that time.
Create a portfolio with a picture of your artifact, a map showing where it was found, a timeline, information about the culture, a list of works you consulted, and pictures of your progress.
Create a museum card that describes your artifact and why it was important.
Present your artifact to the museum's Board of Directors (the class, Mr. Hall, and Mr. Collier).
Complete Your Project in 5 Easy Steps
Step 1 - You need to decide on an artifact that you think will make it into the museum. Use the resources at the bottom of this page to find an artifact. Remember: no weapons. Get at least one good, color picture of the artifact.
TIPS:
You must make your replica from scratch, so consider your strengths: Can you weave? Did these people weave? If so, you may want to re-create a textile.
If the original artifact is really huge or tiny, you can make a smaller or larger version.
You will need essay information: look for artifacts that include long write-ups, or pick an everyday or famous object.
TASKS:
Save a picture of your artifact.
Write a citation for the picture like this:
"Title of the artifact." Title of Website, URL. Date of access.Make note of what your artifact is called, and when and where it was made.
Begin planning your replica. The presentation date may seem a long way off, but give yourself plenty of time for creating your artifact. Students commonly say they have to make more than one attempt.
Step 2 - You need to research your artifact's background so you can tell museum visitors more about it. If you're lucky, the source where you found your picture will also have detailed information about the item. If not, think about what your artifact represents--religion, food, game, tool--and look for related information in the books.
TASKS:
1. Write about your item. Describe what it is, what it's made of, how it was made, where it was found, and why an ancient person would think it was important.
2. Write citations for your sources of information like this:
Book - Author's last name, first name. Title of Book. City of publication, Publisher, copyright date.
Web page - Author’s last name, first name (if given). “Page Title.” Title of Site, copyright date, URL.
Step 3 - Museum visitors will want to know more about your culture. Search the books, ebooks, and museum sites for information about what was happening in the area when your item was made.
TASKS:
1. Make a timeline of the period when your artifact was made including major points (migration periods, wars, important people's births and deaths, disasters, ruler's reigns, etc).
2. Write a paragraph for your essay about the people who made your artifact.
3. Hand-draw a map of the area where your artifact was found.
Step 4 - Put the most interesting and important information and put it into an article.
TASKS:
Take all your information and gather it into an essay about your artifact and the people who made it. Follow the instructions Mr. Hall gave you.
The first paragraph will be used as your museum card, so make it all about your artifact. This information will be in the museum alongside your artifact, so be professional and make it interesting.
The rest of your essay will be about the culture itself and how your artifact fit into the lives of these people.
Example First Paragraph/Museum Card:
Bronze Measuring Ladle
Gigi Kamerer
How does an ancient ladle show us that the Han government was efficient? Let's take a look at this bronze measuring ladle from the Han Dynasty to find out. Produced in 61 B.C.E., this ladle was crafted from bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, and decorated with gold accents. The ladle has a long, curved handle with four raised bands at the base and a dragon’s head at the end. Stretching along the handle is an inscription inlaid with gold wire that translates to, “as commanded by the magistrate of Chang’an, this bronze measuring vessel was made; it holds a weight of three jin and two liang; it was made in the first year of the Shenjue era by the workshop of Gongji; this is number nine” (Smithsonian Museum). The inscription is written in lishu, the official script of the time, in two columns with a bird at the top of each column, and refers to a standard weight of almost 1.75 pounds. Most of the ladle is covered in a green patina, a type of corrosion like the green color on the Statue of Liberty. The number nine likely indicates that this ladle belonged to a set of similar measuring tools. Considering the official script and reference to the magistrate, we can determine that it was used by government departments to establish a standard measuring system across the empire (Smithsonian Museum).
Step 5 - Put all your work together for your presentation to the Board of Directors.
1. Bring your artifact and your information to class.
2. Present the information about your artifact.
3. On the map, point out where your artifact was found.
4. Tell us about the important things on your timeline.
5. Show pictures of how you created your artifact.
You will have 3 to 5 minutes to present, so stick to the interesting stuff.
RESEARCH SOURCES
Museum Sites with Artifacts (No Google Allowed)
Make sure to check the dates!
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Click on the subheadings to find more artifacts
Sources for Everyday Life, Maps, and Important Dates
Gale eBooks
Search for Imperial Rome, Pax Romana, a person's name, a city, or other terms in the main box.
ProQuest eBook Central
Search for Rome to find several books on ancient Roman culture.
World Book Online
Type in the name of your culture to find articles, maps, and timelines.
Go to the Library Portal if you need off-campus logins for these databases.
PRINT BOOKS - with maps, cultural information and important dates for your timeline
Books about ancient Rome are at call number 937
Search the Destiny catalog if you need other books
GRADING
You will be evaluated on three aspects of this project: your presentation, the quality of your essay, and your artifact itself. Mr. Hall will grade each part of your project according to the handout given to you at the beginning of the project.
DUE DATES
Fri April 1 - Submit artifact and partners to Mr. Hall
Fri April 8 - Historiography (annotated bib.)
Wed April 13 - First paragraph (about the artifact)
Fri April 24 - Submit first and second paragraphs
Fri April 29 - Submit rough draft (including works cited page)
Fri May 6 - All rough drafts returned to students
Thu May 19 and Fri May 20 - Presentations
CONCLUSION
Consider these questions:
Why was it important to use so many different sources of information?
Did creating a representation of your artifact help you better understand the people who made it?
What did you learn about your civilization during this task?
What did you learn from your classmates' presentations?
Even though you may not become a museum curator, hopefully you will see where things you learn in Ancient Civ. might apply in the "real world". You should have a better understanding of the ancient artist and a sense of style from the earliest cultures on earth. You will also exercise your ability to locate information in different forms and put it together so you can share your knowledge with others.