History 221, Classical Greece

Course Description: The classical period in Greece will always be remembered for its awe-inspiring innovations in political systems, art, literature and philosophy. Democratic Athens cannot help but be at the center of the course, but we will also try to understand the context of Greece's classical achievements: how the independent city state (polis) evolved, what role Persia and the Near East played in this development, and the conditions that led to the imperialistic decline of the independent city state. Particular attention will be paid to the first written histories, Herodotus' and Thucydides', that not only chronicle the period lucidly, but also create a new type of political discourse. Archaeological evidence will also be explored in conjunction with the historical narratives.

Requirements: The following will be required of all students taking the course:

• attend classes with a look of intense intellectual curiosity
• complete all the assigned reading carefully taking notes and thinking about the inherent issues
• read Neils and take a test on the basic background
• write out a developed problem with the reading for the day (for discussion days)
• contribute thoughtfully to class discussion
• prove competence on a midterm and final exam
• complete one of the following projects (original work is required here):
  • 10 page research paper.
  • 10 page narrative from an ancient perspective.
  • 5 page critical review of a scholarly book (requires instructor's approval).
  • 5 page critical review of a historical novel (requires instructor's approval).

Grading:

• Test: 10%
• Class Participation: 20%
• Midterm: 20%
• Project: 30%
• Final: 20%

Schedule:

1. (August 24) Introduction to the Course.
2. (August 26) Review of Civilization Before Greece [read Saggs on reserve]
3. (August 28) Review of Greece before the Classical Period [read Scarre/Fagan on reserve]
4. (August 31 ) Review of the Period's Dateline[read Neils chapters 3-5]
5. (September 2) Overview of Classical Period [read Neils chapters 6-8]
6. (September 4) Test on Background Information
7. (September 14) Lecture: What is a Greek Polis? (photos)
8. (September 16) Life in Archaic Greece: Hesiod's Works and Days [read Hesiod on reserve]
9. (September 18) Homer and the Polis [read Raaflaub on reserve]
10. (September 21) Early Hellenic Unity from tribes to pan-Hellenic games [read Morgan on reserve]
11. (September 23) Greek Battle: the Hoplite Formation [read Hanson on reserve]
12. (September 25) Greek Tyrants and Aristocrats [read Herodotus: Pisistratus 1.55-65/pp. 23-8; Polycrates and Periander 3.39-56/pp. 187-195, 3.120-8/pp. 222-6; Cleisthenes of Sicyon 5.66-8/pp. 335-6, 6.125-31/pp. 404-8]
13. (September 28) The End of Tyranny in Athens [read Herodotus 5.55-76/pp. 331-9 and pp. 157-166 of Aristotle's Athenian Constitution on reserve]
14. (September 30) Persians and Ionians [read Herodotus 1.141-70/pp. 64-75, 4.88-119/pp. 270-80, 5.98-126/pp. 351-9]
15. (October 2) Persian War: Marathon and Thermopylae [read Herodotus 6.97-117/pp. 394-403, 7.172-228/pp. 476-95]
16. (October 5) Persian War: Battle of Salamis and Plataea [read Herodotus 7.138-43/pp. 460-4, 8.74-112/pp. 525-40, 9.25-81/pp. 563-87]
17. (October 7) Persia and Greek view of Persia after wars [read Cook pp. 278-291 and Aeschylus' Persians on reserve]
18. (October 9) Midterm
19. (October 14) Lecture: Naval Warfare
20. (October 16) Athenian Democracy [read Aristotle's Athenian Constitution on reserve]
21. (October 19) Sparta [read Plutarch's Lycurgus on reserve]
22. (October 21) The Peloponnesian War: Pericles' Funeral Oration [read Thucydides pp. 136-64/2.18-65]
23. (October 23) The Revolt of Mytilene [read Thucydides pp. 194-223/3.1-50]
24. (October 26) Athenian Demagogues: Cleon [read Aristophanes Knights on reserve]
25. (October 28) Athenian Expansion: The Melian Dialogue [read Thucydides pp. 400-8/5.84-116; 35-49/1.1-23 (Thuc.'s introduction)]
26. (October 30) Athenian Expansion II: The Sicilian Expedition [read Thucydides pp. 409-29/6.1-32]
27. (November 2) Athenian Legal System [read Aristophanes' Wasps on reserve]
28. (November 4) Democracy Overthrown: the 400 in Athens [read Thucydides pp. 562-599/8.45-98]
29. (November 6) {PROJECT DUE} Lecture: Greek Architecture and Engineering (photos)
30. (November 9) Democracy and Imperialism reviewed: Athens' own view [read Euripides "Trojan Women" on reserve]
31. (November 11) Democracy and Imperialism reviewed II: Epigraphical Evidence [read Fornara on reserve]
32. (November 13) Democracy and Imperialism reviewed III: the contemporary Greek view [read Pseudo-Xenophon on reserve]
33. (November 16) The Life of a Greek Mercenary [read Xenophon's Anabasis on reserve]
34. (November 18) Lecture: The Fall of Spartan Hegemony
35. (November 20) Lecture: Fall of Thebes and the Rise of Macedon
36. (November 23) Philip II of Macedon in Athens' Eyes [read Demosthenes' Olynthiacs]
37. (November 30) Lecture: the Fate of the Polis under Hellenistic Kings
38. (December 2) Conclusion
39. (December 4) Review for Final Exam
40. (December 8, 2 PM) FINAL EXAM

Texts:

• Herodotus: The Histories, translated by Aubrey de Selincourt.
• Thucydides: The Peloponnesian War, tr. by Rex Warner.
• Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece, R. Morkot.
• The British Museum Concise Introduction to Ancient Greece, J. Neils., J. Neils.
• Selected readings on library electronic reserve.

Attendance: Since class participation is a significant graded percentage of this course, each class a student misses will detract from this grade. Several absences will not do permanent damage, but more than 8 (out of 42 meetings -- i.e. almost 20%) will be serious.

Honor Policy: Like any academic work at UR all work done for this course falls under the honor code. If you have any doubt what constitutes "unauthorized assistance," please come and talk to the instructor before trying it.

N.B. The instructor does not allow make up tests under any circumstances, nor does he accept late work.

last modified 10-2-09