Change of Era: The Origins of Christian Culture through the Lens of Archaeology

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4 weeks
5 hours per week
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Introductory level

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Delve into early Christianity

On this four-week course, you’ll gain a better understanding of a crucial period in history – one characterised by deep political, economic, cultural, and environmental transformations in the context of the end of the Western Roman Empire.

You’ll explore the emergence of the Christian world through early Christian texts and case studies of archaeological sites, key objects, and inscriptions.

By the end, you’ll understand what methods we can use to study early Christianity, what problems we need to investigate, and why it is important to study the origins of the Christian era.

Explore Christian iconography and buildings

You’ll unpack the origins of Christian iconography and culture before analysing Christian artefacts to understand their historical context and meaning.

You’ll also investigate churches and how we can use archaeology to better understand their meaning, who built them, and why.

With this knowledge, you’ll discover how constructing holy places can help create a sensibility for cultural heritage.

Understand the link between religion and politics

You’ll delve into politics and Christianity to help you investigate the connections and causations between different historical events.

Next, you’ll explore how innovative scientific methodologies are adding vital information to help us gain a better understanding of the past.

Learn from the experts at University of Padova

Throughout the course, you’ll be guided by the Mediaeval archaeologists from the University of Padova.

With their expertise, you’ll understand how to study the origins of Christian culture to gain a deeper insight into history.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 17 seconds Do you know what the best-selling book of all time is? No. It isn’t Don Quixote or Harry Potter. It’s the Bible, the collection of writings which formed the bedrock of Christianity. This fact alone tells us how crucial Christianity has been in shaping the foundations of modern culture. Christianity’s impact isn’t limited to just religion or worship but extends to many of the rhythms of life and cultural expressions of Western societies. Churches are still to this day landmarks in our cityscapes, even if large parts of the population are no longer Christian.

Skip to 1 minute and 5 seconds Because of Christianity, many countries now follow a seven day week with a Sunday rest and celebrate Christmas and Easter holidays and even the very calendar used worldwide today is based on the alleged date of Christ’s birth.

Skip to 1 minute and 27 seconds But how did this happen? How did the expression of Christianity evolve from small symbols to the grand churches and pilgrimage centers of the world? The study of early Christianity is also essential to enlightening one of the darkest periods in history and to understanding its role and meaning within the different social and political systems that co-existed in the Mediterranean until the end of the sixth century.

Skip to 2 minutes and 3 seconds In this course, we will discover, through the study of material culture, how the beliefs of a tiny group in one corner of the mighty Roman Empire came to dominate the Mediterranean and eventually to shape our world today.

Skip to 2 minutes and 22 seconds We will learn how to decipher the meaning of Christian imagery in all kinds of objects, meeting places and burials, and explore how the development of archaeological methods is helping us to understand early Christianity in a completely new way.

Skip to 2 minutes and 44 seconds I’m Alexandra Chavarria, Professor of Medieval Archaeology at the University of Padova, and with me as your guide we will discover the emergence of the Christian world and why its study is exciting, worthwhile and even important to understanding our world today. Join me in discovering the origins of our era through the lends of archaeology.

Syllabus

Week 1
The origins of a Christian culture
- In the beginning
  Get to know the course and your educators
- Representing the Gospels
  The Gospels of the Christian Bible served as inspiration for early Christian artists who represented episodes of Jesus' life and miracles in a great variety of materials.
- Synthesis
  Christian visual culture is mainly based on the stories revealed in the Gospel relating the life of Jesus but also on the “Old Testament” or Hebrew scriptures, which were reinterpreted in a Christological way.
Week 2
The image of a new culture
- The making of a new Christian culture
  During the 3rd century, a distinctive Christian iconography began to develop, drawing on already established symbols while also building a completely new outlook.
- Death, memory, and salvation
  The oldest archaeological evidence for Christianization in the West relates to cemeteries, funerary cults and, in particular, to sarcophagi, mosaics, paintings, and objects depicting Christian subjects, symbols, and formularies.
- Martyrs and relics
  The persecution of Christian martyrs and their veneration became a powerful element of early Christianity.
- Christian cemeteries
  The growing number of Christians at the beginning of the 3rd century AD required various efforts to increase group unity, even in the place of repose of the dead.
Week 3
Constantine and the birth of monumental christian architecture
- What do we know of churches before Constantine?
  The earliest Christians usually met in the houses of church members, but in the third century, Christians started converting structures for ecclesiastical use, thereby creating a specific form of architecture.
- Divine symbols
  Constantine created a very powerful iconography related to the Chi-Rho and the Cross and linked it to the idea of military victory.
- The churches built by Constantine
  After his victory, Constantine promoted the expansion of churches, from the place of Christ's tomb in the Holy Land to the suburbs and cities of Italy.
Week 4
Religion and politics in the early christian mediterranean
- The end of the Western Empire and the new western world
  From the 5th Century, barbarian groups forced the end of the Western Roman Empire and created new kingdoms which were mainly Christian. Religion thereby became important in establishing political relationships.
- Diverse Christianities
  The subject of Arianism as a religious doctrine is essential in explaining the development of ecclesiastical architecture in the 6th century.
- Conquest, religion, and architecture in the sixth century Mediterranean
  In the sixth century, Emperor Justinian I aimed to “renew” the political and religious unity of the Empire, and his reign left an exceptional architectural and artistic legacy.
- Final synthesis
  Churches are our clearest testimony to the many transformation processes of the early Christian period and they also help us to understand the foundations of modern culture.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

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Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Create a sensibility for cultural heritage, particularly archaeological sites and material culture through a better understanding of their nature and meaning
Explore how innovative scientific methodologies are adding vital information about the past to traditional christian archaeology
Interpret christian artefacts within their precise historical context and meaning.
Investigate the connections and causations between different historical events
Reflect on the meaning of churches in urban and rural contexts–why they were built and what their function was in antiquity

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for beginners in the study of early Christianity. It will be particularly useful for university students, professionals who would like to update their knowledge, and those who are simply fascinated by the subject.

Who will you learn with?

Alexandra Chavarria

I teach medieval archaeology at the university of Padua . I love communicating knowledge and approaching people to cultural heritage.

Tamara Lewit

I'm an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne where I research late antique archaeology, particularly wine and oil making and the roles of both children and monasteries in production

Maurizio Marinato

I'm a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Padova. I'm also field archaeologist and bioarchaeologist, which entails the study of ancient human remains.

Who developed the course?

University of Padova

The University of Padova is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious seats of learning; it aims to provide its students with both professional training and a solid cultural background.


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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

Access to this course
Access to 1,000+ courses
Learn at your own pace
Discuss your learning in comments
Tests to boost your learning
Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$134/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

Access to this course
Learn at your own pace
Discuss your learning in comments
Tests to boost your learning
Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Continue & Upgrade

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

Access expires 3 Nov 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 31 October 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 31 October 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

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