Classical Civilization/History 202
M, W, F 10:00-10:50
Kauke 305
Classical Civilization/History 202
M, W, F 10:00-10:50
Kauke 305
TA: Ted Pogue
Tel.: ext. 7621
Ted’s office hours: Wed. 7:00-9:00 at Mom’s
Dr. Josephine Shaya
Office: Kauke 211
Office hours: M, W 11:00-11:50 and by appointment
Tel.: ext. 2624
E-mail: jshaya@wooster.edu
This course will examine the history of Greece from the eighth to the fourth century BCE — a remarkably rich period that witnessed the creation of the city-state, the rise and fall of the Athenian empire, the conquests of Alexander the Great, and the beginnings of grand traditions of western literature, art, philosophy, athletics and science. In fifteen short weeks we simply can’t cover it all. Rather, this class offers a broad survey of the political, intellectual and social history of ancient Greece. Within this overarching, general framework, we will explore a few central questions in depth: First, what did it mean to be Greek? What did free, male, Greek citizens say about themselves and what did they say about “Others” (women, slaves, non-citizens, barbarians, gods, the dead)? Second, what, according to the Greeks, was a good society? How did the Greeks think it should be organized? How liberal and open did they think it should it be? And how should its members behave toward each other, strangers, other communities, and the gods? And finally, what was justice in ancient Greece? How did the idea of justice change with the development from the aristocratic world of archaic Greece to that of radically democratic Athens?
We will approach ancient Greece in general and these questions in particular through some of the Greeks’ greatest hits: Homer’s Iliad, Hesiod’s Works and Days, Aeschylus’ Oresteia, the histories of Herodotus and Thucydides, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, Euripides’ Bacchae, Plato’s Symposium and more. While many of our sources are great works of literature, we will read them with an historical eye. Our approach will be hands-on: in brief lectures, I will provide an overarching historical framework, then, in discussion, the class will analyze the source material, asking what it reveals about the values, ideas, and beliefs of the time in which it was created. To help the class prepare for discussions, I will assign short reading response papers and I will set map quizzes. Throughout the semester, each student will work on a research project. A midterm and a final exam will test the students’ general understanding of the sources, major periods, events and persons examined in class.
Objectives
This course has several learning objectives. Students should acquire a general
understanding of the political, social, and intellectual history of ancient
Greece. They should also gain a critical awareness of the range and limitations
of the sources for Greek history. They should become familiar with the basic
ways in which historians approach such sources. And finally, they should become
better at reading, analyzing, and writing about such sources.
Expectations
Attendance and class participation are mandatory. Students are expected to arrive
on time and to meet assignment deadlines. Late work will result in the lowering
of the assignment’s grade. Extensions will be granted only in the case
of a certified illness or documented emergency. The final grade for the course
will be based on attendance and class participation (5%), weekly reading response
papers (10%), three map quizzes (10%), a research project (30%), a midterm exam
(20%), and a final exam (25%).
Texts
All the texts are available at the Wooster Bookstore. They are also on reserve
in the library. Please use the following translations:
Translator Text
R. Fagles Homer, Iliad (Penguin)
D. Tandy and W. Neale Hesiod, Works and Days (U. of California)
R. Fagles Aeschylus, The Oresteia (Penguin)
M. I. Finley Portable Greek Historians (Viking)
S. Esposito Euripides, The Bacchae (Focus classical library)
J. Henderson Aristophanes, Lysistrata (Focus classical
library)
C. Gill Plato, The Symposium (Penguin)
G. Grube Plato, The Trial and Death of Socrates (Hackett)
R. Morkot Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece (optional)
In addition to these works, we will use the following textbook: Sarah Pomeroy, Stanley Burstein, Walter Donlan, and Jennifer Tolbert Roberts, Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History.
We will also be reading the works listed below which are available on electronic reserve and in hard copy at the library reserve desk (Gault 2442). Be sure to print out the works on electronic reserve and bring them with you to class.
M. Lipka Xenophon, Spartan Constitution
R. Warner Thucydides, “The Melian Debate”
D. Rice and J. Stambaugh Sources for the Study of Greek Religion
C. Carey Trials from Classical Athens
W. Heckel and J. C. Yardley Alexander the Great. Historical Texts in Translation
Learning Disabilities
If you are a student with a documented learning disability, please register
with Pam Rose, Director of the Learning Center. The Learning Center is located
in the Rubbermaid Student Services Building (ext. 2595) and is the office that
will assist you in developing a plan to address your academic needs and adjustments.
The Honor Code
Please read the Code of Academic Integrity printed in the Scot’s Key.
If you use another person’s words or the ideas, you must cite them. If
you do not, you are committing the academic crime of plagiarism. A violation
of the Code of Academic Integrity will result in the failure of this class and
a report to the Dean of Faculty.
Week 1. Aug. 28, 30, Sept.1
M Introduction: Greek Topography
Ancient Greece, pp. 18-40
W Bronze Age Society: The Myceneans
Ancient Greece, pp. 41-81, Iliad, book 1
F The “Dark Age” and the Eighth-century “Renaissance”
Iliad, books 2 (up to line 572), 3, 4 (up to line 257)
Week 2. Sept. 4, 6, 8
M Homer and History/Research Project: A Short History with Documents
Iliad, books 6, 8, 9
W Homeric Society
Iliad, books 16, 18 (up to line 270), 19, 20 (up to line 90)
Map quiz 1
F Homeric Values
Iliad, books 21, 22, 24
Week 3. Sept. 11, 13, 15
M Homeric Justice
Ancient Greece, pp. 82-129, Works and Days, pp. 1-9
Topic for sourcebook due in class
W City-States, Sanctuaries, and Athletics
Works and Days, pp. 10-67
F Archaic Communities
Works and Days, pp. 68-135
Week 4. Sept. 18, 20, 22
M Hesiod’s Farm
Ancient Greece, pp. 131-157; Xenophon, Spartan Constitution (16 pp.) (ER)
W Spartan Society
Ancient Greece, pp. 158-178; Herodotus, The Portable Greek Historians, pp. 29-62
F Athens and Democracy
Ancient Greece, pp. 178-199; Herodotus, The Portable Greek Historians, pp. 63-81
Week 5. Sept. 25, 27, 29
M Herodotus, the Greeks, and Others
Herodotus, The Portable Greek Historians, pp. 81-131
Map quiz 2
W The Persian Empire and the Ideals of Greek Democracy
Herodotus, The Portable Greek Historians, pp. 131-184
F The Invasion of Greece
Herodotus, The Portable Greek Historians, pp. 184-215
Week 6. Oct. 2, 4, 6
M Greek Leaders and Panhellenic Unity
Ancient Greece, pp. 201-244
W Aftermath of the Persian War: Naval Alliance into Empire
Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Version one of sourcebook due in class
F Tragedy
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers
Week 7. Oct. 9, 11, 13
M Gender Roles
Aeschylus, Eumenides
W The Just Social Order
Ancient Greece, pp. 246-267
F Film: Eumenides
Ancient Greece, pp. 267-285
Week 8. Oct. 18, 20
M No class, fall break
W The City of Athens
Midterm review session: to be announced
F Midterm exam
Thucydides, The Portable Greek Historians, pp. 218-264
Week 9. Oct. 23, 25, 27
M Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War
Ancient Greece, pp. 287-293; Thucydides, The Portable Greek Historians, pp.
265-277
W Two Views of Athens: Pericles’ Funeral Oration and the Plague
Thucydides, The Portable Greek Historians, pp. 278-297; Thucydides, “The
Melian Debate” (pp. 358-366) (ER)
Map quiz 3
F City States and Power
Ancient Greece, pp. 293-305; Thucydides, The Portable Greek Historians, pp.
298-346
Week 10. Oct. 30, Nov. 1, 3
M Popular Politics and the Invasion of Sicily
Thucydides, The Portable Greek Historians, pp. 347-379
W The Destruction of the Sicilian Expedition
Aristophanes, Lysistrata
F Comedy and the War at Home: Lysistrata
Ancient Greece, pp. 311-319
Week 11. Nov. 6, 8, 10
M Sex and the City
Selections from Rice and Stambaugh, Sources for the Study of Greek Religion,
pp. xi-xiii (preface); 69-80 (the cult of Asclepius); 107-129 (sacrifices, festivals,
sanctuaries). “Religion” from Lefkowitz and Fant, Women’s
Life in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook in Translation, pp. xxiii-xxv; 273-287
(ER)
W Religion
Euripides, Bacchae
F Madness and the Gods
Ancient Greece, pp. 319-328: Symposium, pp. x-xxxix
Week 12. Nov. 13, 15, 17
M Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War
Version two of sourcebook due in class
W Research Project Workshop
Comments on sourcebooks due in class
Symposium, pp. 1-32
F Plato and Socrates
Symposium, pp. 32-64
Week 13. Nov. 20
M The Symposium
The Trial and Death of Socrates
W No class, Thanksgiving break
F No class, Thanksgiving break
Week 14. Nov. 27, 29, Dec. 1
M The Trial and Death of Socrates
Ancient Greece, pp. 330-368
W Fourth Century City-States
Ancient Greece, pp. 371-393
F The Rise of Macedon
Against Neaira from C. Carey, Trials from Classical Athens, pp. 1-21; 180-210
(ER)
Week 15. Dec. 4, 6, 8
M The Case Against Neaira
Ancient Greece, pp. 395-425; Heckel and Yardly, Alexander the Great: Historical
Texts in Translation, pp. xvi-xxx (introduction); 72-89 (Alexander and the Greeks);
303-310 (Cities founded by Alexander) (ER)
W Alexander and the Hellenistic City
Th Final version of sourcebook due: 1i:oo AM in my office (Kauke 211) or my mailbox (Kauke 126)
F Conclusions
Final review session: to be announced
Week 16. Dec. 13
W Final exam, 10:00 AM, Kauke 305
Ancient Greek Civilization
Research Project: A Short History with Documents
A popular form of ancient history of late is the sourcebook. This type of book
contains a set of sources (texts and images) which shed light on a particular
topic. Recent examples include works on miracles in Greco-Roman antiquity, Greek
and Roman technology, homosexuality in the ancient world, women’s religions
in Greece, and witchcraft and ghosts in the ancient world.
Sourcebooks are usually aimed at college-level readers who would like to use primary sources to investigate a topic. Although they differ in format, they typically share four key components: an introduction, an overview of previous scholarship on the topic, a collection of sources, and a brief commentary.
For your research project, I would like you to create your own sourcebook on a topic of interest to you. This is a long assignment that you will work on throughout the semester. At its end, your sourcebook should include a 4-5 page introductory essay, a 2 page bibliographic essay, a collection of 18-22 source selections, and 12-15 pages of commentary on and analysis of these selections.
I have attached a list of recent sourcebooks for Greek history and have placed examples on reserve in the library. You should look through them and think about the overall format for source books before you begin to make your own. But for now, let me briefly describe the main components of a sourcebook (and this assignment). When you create your own sourcebook, follow this basic model, but also feel free to adjust it to suit your topic. You should draw most of your selections (at least 75%) from the materials for this course, although you are welcome (and encouraged) to include selections that you find outside of class.
1. Introductory essay
The introductory essay gives the reader the necessary background for understanding
the selections that follow. It also explains how and why the selections were
made. And it offers a way to think about the selections. In other words, it
makes an argument about them. For instance, the author might argue that the
sources demonstrate a change over time, or that they have been misinterpreted
in the past, or that they offer new insights into the topic. The author supports
the argument with references to the selections in the sourcebook.
2. Bibliographic essay
The bibiliographic essay briefly sets out the ways in which previous scholars
have approached the topic. It focuses on the most important works on the topic.
It includes references to the works discussed and a bibliography.
3. Commentary
Different authors design the selection of sources itself and their commentary
on those sources differently. In one very common format each selection has a
number, title, date, and bibliographic reference. An introductory paragraph
or two places the selection in its historical context and offers observations
on the way in which the selection sheds new light on the topic. The author tells
the reader how to read the selection as a historical document. He or she might
also compare and contrast the selection with other selections. Overall, the
commentary tells the reader why each selection is noteworthy.
4. Selection of sources
The source selection itself (either a passage from a text or an image) follows.
The arrangement of the sources is important. In some sourcebooks, the sources
are arranged chronologically, in others they are arranged geographically, or
by sub topic, or by type of source. Just as the sources support the argument
made in the introductory essay, so, too, should their arrangement. Footnotes
gloss the names of people and places, explain unfamiliar terms, and identify
buildings and iconographic details.
Topics
You are welcome to work on any topic that interests you. However, it is important to note that the sources for ancient Greek history (and the limited selection of sources that we are using in this class) shed much light on some aspects of antiquity and little or no light on others. I have listed below some promising topics. If you work on one of these topics, you will want to focus on just a few particular aspects of it. If you pick warfare, for instance, you might want to focus on death, life in the field, or discipline. If you pick the family, you might want to focus on mothers, fathers, or in-laws. If you pick religion, you might want to focus on women’s religion, religious rites, or priests and priestesses. If you pick the body, you might want to focus on sexuality, sickness, or madness.
food
religion
warfare
the economy
housing
the city
the country
the body
the family
friendship
occupations
slavery
death
burial
animals
crime
wealth
poverty
leisure
clothing
age
Schedule
This is a semester long project that I have broken up into the following parts:
Monday, September 11
Turn in topic
Wednesday, October 4
Version one due
This version should include a collection of at least 6 primary sources, 2.5
pages of commentary, and a bibliography with 4 key secondary works on your topic.
It should also include the beginning of an annotated bibliography with at least
2 works. For each work in the annotated bibliography you will need to provide
a complete citation, a brief summary of the overall argument, and an indication
of how this article or book is useful to your analysis of your sources.
Monday, November 13
Version two due
This version should include a draft of your introductory essay (4-5 pp.), a
collection of at least 15 sources, 7 pages of commentary, and an annotated bibliography
with 5-6 key secondary works on your topic. Bring four copies of this version
to class (one for yourself, one for me, and two for your classmates).
Wednesday, November 15
Research Project Workshop
Before class, carefully read the drafts of your own research project and those
of your two classmates. Type one page of comments on your own project and one
page of comments on each of your classmates’ projects. Bring to class
two sets of copies of the comments — one for your classmates and one for
me. In your comments, pay particular attention to the introductory essay. Does
it give the reader the background necessary to read the sources? Does it introduce
a way to think about the selections? Does it explain how and why the selections
were chosen?
Thursday, December 7
Final version due, 11:00 AM, in my office (Kauke 211) or my mailbox (Kauke 126)
Your project should include a 4-5 page introductory essay, a 2 page bibliographic
essay, a collection of from 18-22 sources (with at least 75% of them from works
that we looked at in class), and 12-15 pages of commentary. It should also have
a handsome cover and a title page.
Grades
Versions one and two will each be worth 15% of the project grade. Version three will be worth 70% of the grade. Grades for versions one and two will be based on format and completeness, the quality of the selection of sources, and the degree to which the commentary and analysis are helpful in understanding the sources. I will use the ask the following questions when I grade the final version of the project:
Is your sourcebook insightful, well written, and free from errors of grammar and spelling?
Does your introductory essay give the reader the background necessary to read the sources? Does it clearly explain how and why the selections were chosen? Does it introduce a way to think about the selections, or, in other words, does it have an argument? And does it support this argument with references to the selections in the sourcebook?
Does your bibliographic essay clearly explain how other scholars have approached the topic? Does it focus on the most important works on the topic? Is the bibliography complete and formatted correctly?
Does each of your source selections have a number, title, date, and bibliographic reference? Does your commentary place each selection in its historical context and shed light on how to read it as a historical document? Does it explain why the source is noteworthy?
Does your overall choice and arrangement of the sources support the introductory argument? Are your sources interesting? Are they reproduced accurately? Do your footnotes correctly gloss the names of people and places and explain unfamiliar terms?
Finally, does your book have a handsome cover, a strong title, and a title page?
Examples of Sourcebooks
Austin, M. M., The Hellenistic World to the Roman Conquest: A Selection of Ancient
Sources in Translation, Cambridge, 1981.
Burstein, Stanley, The Hellenistic Age from the Battle of Ipsos to the Death of Kleopatra VII (Translated Documents of Greece and Rome), Cambridge, 1985.
*Beard, May, John North and Simon Price, Religions of Rome, vols. 1-2, Cambridge 1998 (although this work is not on ancient Greece, it is one of my favorite sourcebooks).
Cotter, Wendy, Miracles in Greco-Roman Antiquity: A Sourcebook, New York, 1999.
Crawford, Michael and David Whitehead, Archaic and Classical Greece: A Selection of Ancient Sources in Translation, Cambridge, 1983.
Feldman, Louis and Meyer Reinhold, Jewish Life and Thought Among the Greeks and Romans: Primary Readings, Minneapolis, 1996.
Fornara, Charles W., Archaic Times to the End of the Peloponnesian War, translated documents of Greece and Rome, vol. 1, Baltimore, 1977.
Grabbe, Lester, Judaism from Cyrus to Hadrian, Minneapolis, 1992.
Harding, Phillp, From the End of the Peloponnesian War to the Battle of Ipsus, translated documents from Greece and Rome, vol. 2, Cambridge, 1985.
Heckel, W. and J. C. Yardly, Alexander the Great: Historical Texts in Translation, Blackwell, 2004.
*Humphrey, John, Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook, New York, 1998.
*Hubbard, T. K., Homosexuality in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook of Basic Documents, Berkeley, 2003.
Irby-Massie, G., Greek Science of the Hellenistic Era: A Sourcebook, Routledge, 2002.
*Johnson, M. and T. Ryan, Sexuality in Greek and Roman Society and Literature: A Sourcebook, Routledge, 2005.
*Kraemer, Ross, Maenads, Martyrs, Matrons, Monastics: A Sourcebook on Women’s Religion in the Greco-Roman World, Philadelphia, 1988.
*Lefkowitz and Fant, Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook in Translation, Baltimore, 2005
Lewis, Sian, The Athenian Woman: an Iconographic Handbook, Routledge, 2002.
*Longrigg, James, Greek Medicine from the Heroic to the Hellenistic Age: A Sourcebook, London, 1998.
Luck, Georg, Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Collection of Ancient Texts, Baltimore, 1985.
Mcdougall, I., Greek and Roman Education: A Sourcebook, Routledge, 2006.
*Meijer, Fik, and Onno van Nijf, Trade, Transport, and Society in the Ancient World: A Sourcebook, Routledge, 1992.
Meyer, M., The Ancient Mysteries: A Sourcebook, Philadelphia, 1999.
Miller, S., Arete: Greek Sport from Ancient Sources, University of California Press, 2004.
Ogden, Daniel, Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook, Oxford, 2002.
Pollitt, J. J., The Art of Ancient Greece: Sources and Documents, Cambridge, 1990.
Phillips, D., Political Oratory from Classical Athens: A Sourcebook, Routledge, 2003.
Rhodes, P. J., The Greek States: A Sourcebook, Cambridge, 2007.
Rowlandson, J., Women and Society in Greek and Roman Egypt: A Sourcebook, Cambridge, 1998.
*Segal, Erich, Sport and Recreation in Ancient Greece: A Sourcebook with Translations, Oxford, 1987.
*Stambaugh, John and David Rice, Sources for the Study of Greek Religion, Missoula, 1979.
Stanton, G. R., Athenian Politics c. 800-500 BC: A Sourcebook, Routledge, 1990.
Williams, M., The Jews among the Greeks and Romans: A Diasporan Sourcebook, Baltimore, 1998.
*available at the reserve desk