General Information

Don't wait until the last minute to begin preparing for tests. Go over class notes and the PowerPoint presentations the day after class to collect your thoughts on material covered in class and to relate it to the reading assignments for the week. You should also go over your notes from the reading assignments at the end of each week.

To prepare for each test, you need to be in control of the details, but you also need to collect your thoughts and your detailed data around the big issues discussed in class, such as the development of the polis, the importance of archaeological context, etc.

Both the midterm and the final exam will include Slide Identifications, short answers (objective) and essays.

You will be graded on how well you engage the material, show investigative interest, offer new insights and connect it to a larger archaeological context as discussed in lectures and assigned readings.You should strive to be both comprehensive and specific in all your answers.

Slide Identifications:

I will show you several images of an artifact, a building, or a site. Each will be shown for 4-5 minutes.You are expected to identify it (i.e., list its name, date, material, artist [if applicable] and provenance [place of origin], etc.) and then to comment on the significance of the artifact, building or site for classical archaeology. More points will be awarded for commentary than for identification.

If you do not recognize a slide right off, DON'T PANIC. By this point in the course you know quite a lot about Greek culture, and can make some reasonable guesses that should get you at least partial credit. And, indeed, I may show one or two "unknowns" on a test–images you have not have seen in class, but will be similar to items you have seen during the course. You should apply your knowledge of artistic, architectural and archaeological methods, meanings and trends to explain the items as best you can.

Do not simply describe the object--description is not commentary! The slide IDs are intended to test both familiarity with archaeological objects and your wider cultural knowledge. Some slides may call for discussion of artistic trends and techniques; others may offer a window onto broader social or cultural topics. Some do both. Be imaginative. Ask yourself how a particular slide can enable you to display your multi-faceted knowledge of classical. Apply your knowledge of artistic, architectural and archaeological methods, meanings and trends to explain the items as best you can. It is often useful to point to details in the image in order to discuss larger issues.

Practice Slide Identifications

Do these practice identifications in exam conditions--i.e., give yourself no more than five minutes to write your anwer for each slide, work in a quiet place with no distractions and without books or study notes. Once your time is up, click on the possible answers.

• Slide 1
  • Slide 1 answer
• Slide 2
  • Slide 2 answer