Ancient Greece

Catalog description

This course will cover the history of ancient Greece from its prehistoric beginnings, through the flourishing and collapse of Helladic culture at the end of the Bronze Age, to the formation of the "Classical World" following the Dark Ages. Particular attention will be given to the role and importance of Homer in shaping Greek history and ideals; the rise of the city-state during the Archaic Period; the peculiarities of Sparta and Athens, and their rivalry and clash from the Persian to the Peloponnesian Wars. Emphasis shall be placed upon contemporary perceptions of, and reactions to these events as found in primary sources (in translation), and their utility for recovering and reconstructing Hellenic history.