Activity 1

One of the most important centers of the early Christian church was the Italian city of Ravenna. There, several rulers-including Theodoric, the Ostrogoth king of Italy, and the Byzantine emperor Justinian-built churches lavishly decorated with beautiful mosaics. Take a virtual tour of the Monuments of Ravenna. Give special attention to the mosaics and what they represent: what role do you think these images played in the rituals that took place in these churches? A few decades after the death of Justinian, the Byzantine Orthodox Church plunged into the Iconoclastic Controversy. Of and on from the early seventh to the mid ninth century, Orthodox theologians debated the appropriateness of images depicting religious figures such as Jesus and the saints. So heated did that debate become that, at various times, Iconoclasts and their supporters rose up, stormed churches, and destroyed any religious images they found. What exactly was the nature of this controversy? With this question in mind, take a look at a few icons used by Orthodox worshippers: Jesus (6th century), John the Baptist (6th century), Saint Nicholas the Miracleworker (12th-13th centuries), and Crucifixion (undated). What about these images do you think so offended the Iconoclasts? Finally, read an excerpt from On Holy Images (c. 730) by John of Damascus, one of the most prominent early defenders of religious imagery. When you finish, read the statement issued by the Iconoclastic Council of 754 condemning such imagery. As you examine these texts, consider the following questions: on what basis does John of Damascus defend icons as useful and theologically acceptable tools of devotion? on what grounds does the Iconoclastic Council denounce icons as theologically unacceptable?

Activity 2

Among the achievements of Islamic civilization was a rich and diverse artistic tradition. To learn more about this tradition, read this overview of Islamic art. The period of the Abbasid Caliphs is generally regarded as the golden age of Islamic culture. Read about the varieties of Abbasid art, the techniques and objects that made this art so memorable. Finally, read about Islamic approaches to figural representation. What are the defining features of Islamic art in general and Abbasid art in particular? What challenges did Islamic artists face when they chose to represent figures of living things? How does the Islamic artistic tradition resemble and differ from the Greco-Roman and Christian traditions as you have encountered them?

Activity 3

As you have read, Latin Christendom grew from a combination of Germanic, Greco-Roman, and Christian cultures. Let's consider how these elements fused in the art of the early Middle Ages. First, read this overview of the art of the migration period: examine the images included in this overview and notice the distinctive features of these Germanic artifacts. Now take a look at some examples of Hiberno-Saxon art, the art of the British Isles that combined Celtic and Germanic styles: examine the symbols of the four Evangelists from the Irish Book of Kells, and the image of St. Matthew from the Book of Durrow. Finally, read this brief discussion of Carolingian art, giving special attention to the Ebbo and Coronation Gospels. What features distinguish the art of the Migration Period? How do the images from the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow resemble and differ from Migration-Period art? How do the images from Carolingian Ebbo and Coronation Gospels resemble and differ from the two Hiberno-Saxon images? How do the Carolingian images represent a fusion of Germanic, Greco-Roman, and Germanic themes and visual elements?