Ancient Greek Choral Poetry

Catalog description

Choral poetry and performance were central to the lives of ancient Greeks. They functioned in many realms: mythological, literary, political, ritual, etc. If we do not understand Greek choral literature, we do not understand Greek antiquity. And yet, choral lyric is elusive to contemporary readers who are unused to such performances and experience them only through surviving texts. That is why this course will serve as a survey of main choral genres from the archaic age to the Roman Imperial period. The studied texts will be pulled from manuscripts, papyri, and inscriptions; thus, we will pay special attention to the materiality of the medium too. Prerequisite: Six semesters of ancient Greek, with two of them being on the advanced level.