Soren, David H | Classics | Department of Religious Studies & Classics

soren@arizona.edu

Phone

520.621.5013

Office

Haury

Office Hours

Please email professor to schedule a meeting or refer to class syllabus.

Soren, David H

Regents Professor

Dr. David Soren is Regents Professor of Anthropology and Classics with the University of Arizona and Director of the Orvieto Institute in Umbria, Italy. He holds a B.A. in Greek & Roman Studies from Dartmouth, and an M.A. in Fine Arts and Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from Harvard University. His specialties include Roman Archaeology, and the making of documentaries. He has done extensive field work in Cyprus, Portugal, Tunisia and Italy, is widely published, and has received numerous honors and awards for his work. He is a Fellow of Great Britain's Royal Institute of International Affairs and the Johns Hopkins Schools of Advanced International Research. Movies about his work have been featured on a number of networks including the BBC ("Malaria and the Fall of Rome"), The Learning Channel ("A Roman Plague" with John Rhys-Davies) and National Geographic ("Kourion").

Major Publications:

Art, Popular Culture and the Classical Ideal in the 1930s (Marquee Press: 2011).
An Ancient Roman Spa at Mezzomiglio, Chianciano Terme, Tuscany, Volume 2, with Dr. Paola Mecchia (British Archaeological Reports, Oxford: 2010).
An Ancient Roman Spa at Mezzomiglio, Chianciano Terme, Tuscany (British Archaeological Reports, Oxford: 2007).
Archaeological Excavations at Lugnano in Teverina, Italy (L'Erma Bretschneider, Rome: 2001). Co-edited with Noelle Soren.
Carthage: A Mosaic of Ancient Tunisia (edited by David Soren and Aicha Ben Abed Ben Khader) (W.W. Norton/Penguin/ American Museum of Natural History: 1987).
Carthage by David Soren, Aicha Ben Abed Ben Khader and Hedi Slim (Simon and Schuster/ Touchstone: 1990) French Version: Albin-Michel Press, 1992.
Kourion: The Search for A Lost Roman City by David Soren and Jamie James (Doubleday: 1988).
Corpus des Mosaiques de Tunisie (Smithsonian Institution: 1980-1992)- co-author three volumes, contributing writer two volumes.

Classes Taught:

CLAS 300 - Art and the Classical Ideal
CLAS 329 - Art History of the Cinema
CLAS 340B - Introduction to Classical Art and Archaeology
CLAS 452/552 - Etruscan Art and Archaeology
CLAS 454/554 - Greek and Roman Sculpture
CLAS 456/556 - Greek and Roman Painting
CLAS 484/584 - Roman Art and Architecture
CLAS 596a - Seminar in Roman Architecture

Research Interests:

Roman and Etruscan archaeology
Field excavation in Tuscany
Roman architecture
Greek and Roman sculpture
Hollywood cinema and Vaudeville
Tap dancing

Archaeological Sites:

Currently Teaching

CLAS 300 – The Classical Ideal: From Greece and Rome through the 1930s

This is a course that explores the world of ancient Athens and Rome as it was viewed and interpreted in later periods. The learning activities inspire students to critically analyze and incorporate past and current art, historical, archaeological and cultural perspectives on ancient Greek life and culture. Then we learn about how people in America in the 1930s were inspired by ancient Greece. Students are expected to apply their knowledge by analyzing movies made in this period which focus on presenting classical culture in modern guise, especially those by the only major woman director of the era: Dorothy Arzner. Next, we look at ancient Rome. Since Americans have traditionally identified more with ancient Rome, we dedicate more time to the analysis of Rome and its influence. Finally, we look at the 1930s' vogue for the symbolism of classical culture in Fascist Italy under Mussolini and in Nazi Germany under Hitler.

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CLAS 329 – Art History of the Cinema

This course is based on research and practices about art, film, and popular culture in France, England, Germany, and particularly in America. The learning activities inspire students to critically analyzing and incorporating past and current art perspectives in the arts and their influence on cinema. It is expected that students demonstrate skillful analysis and the latter description of theoretical and pragmatic solutions related to ideologies, art movements, and technology involved with the development of cinematography, through learning about different cultures, including ancient Greece and Rome, as well as America, France, and Germany over the centuries.

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CLAS 484 – Roman Art and Architecture

The origin and development of Italian architecture from the beginning of the Iron Age to the end of the Roman Empire, highlighting the development of construction techniques, materials used, the nature of the work force, principal monuments and patterns of urbanism. Focus is also placed on the imperial building programs of the Roman emperors and on the domestic architecture of Rome and its dependencies.

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CLAS 584 – Roman Art and Architecture

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CLAS 338 – Introduction to Roman Art and Archaeology

This course provides an overview of the culture of ancient Rome beginning about 1000 BCE and ending with the so-called "Fall of Rome". It looks at some of the key people who played a role in Rome, from the time of the kings through the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It will also focus on the city of Rome itself, as well as Rome's expansion through Italy, the Mediterranean, and beyond.

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