• will have gained knowledge of the cultural significance of the Mediterranean throughout the ages, and of the theory and historiography related to this;
• know how to analyse a historical debate on the appropriation of the Mediterranean by rulers in different geographical regions and in different chronological periods, and to form an opinion on the various points of view;
• know how to identify and contextualize the continued effects of the various perceptions of the Mediterranean as a political, religious and cultural centre, from antiquity onwards.

This core course within our Master’s specialisation offers in-depth examinations of theoretical frameworks and concepts that are crucial for our understanding of the Mediterranean in a diachronic perspective, from early antiquity until the late medieval period. The diachronic angle allows the students to gain insight in the continuities and transformations that are essential for our understanding of the region. Focussing on (political) culture and cultural memory, we will discuss processes such as cultural transfer, (state) religion, power and ideology, as well as mechanisms of identity formation and conflicts with a formative impact within the area under discussion. The programme’s overarching approach of the Mediterranean, in both a geographical and a chronological sense, allows for comparisons within the Greco-Roman world, and between the Greco-Roman world and its successors in the West (e.g. the Carolingian Empire) and the East (e.g. the Byzantine Empire or the Islamic Caliphates). Thus, this course lays the foundation for other courses within the MA-programme, including the students own research projects.