Visit to British Museum's Hadrian Exhibit

29/09/2008

Visit to British Museum's Hadrian Exhibit

This week students in Dom Alessio's HST 319 Cultures of Imperial Power class (pictured here in front of a photographic backdrop of Hadrian's Wall) visited the British Museum's new Hadrian exhibit which has been receiving rave reviews. The intention of the visit was to demonstrate a link between themes relating to empire discussed in class and a particular case study, in this case Rome under Hadrian. Some relevant issues of interest raised in the exhibit, include: the use of culture to demonstrate power (Hadrian's Wall), responses from the colonised (Jewish revolts), reactions to these rebellions (ethnic cleansing), the use of colonial troops assisting an empire (Thracians helping to build Hadrian's Wall), the role of women in empire (Roman aristocrats and Jewish rebels), and the impact of empire (Hadrian's architectural genius with the Pantheon's dome being reproduced in the BM's own library where the exhibit was held). The class is off for a guided tour of the Assyrian collection soon, as well as a visit to the Royal Academy's new Byzantine exhibit. All students are able to sign up for these trips. Please see the Cultural Calendar for more details or get in contact with student affairs or Dom.

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/n/581.aspx