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.

All of the tests for this course will include Slide Identifications and Short Answer questions. The final exam will be a take-home essay.

I. Slide Identifications:

I will show you several images of an artifact, a building, or a site. Each will be shown for approximately 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 the ancient city of Athens. More points will be awarded for commentary than for identification. I will be looking for how well you engage the material, show investigative interest, offer new insights and critique the arguments in the readings. If you do not recognize a slide right off, DON'T PANIC. By the time of the testing, you should know quite a lot about ancient Athens and should be able to 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 ancient Athens. 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.

II. 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 for some ideas on how to place the object in a broader context.

• Slide 1
  • Slide 1 sample answer