History 221, Classical Greece
Spring 2025
Dept. of History
U. of Richmond
Walt Stevenson
Humanities Building 428 Office Hours: MW 12-1 (or by appt.)
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 Greek-speakers' classical achievements within their global circumstances: 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 Pomeroy et al. 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% [January 24]
- Class Participation: 20%
- Midterm: 20% [March 7]
- Project: 30% [due March 24, 5PM, electronically submitted]
- Final: 20% [April 29, 9AM]
Schedule:
Introduction and General Background: Origins of Civilization and Distinct States
1. (January 13) Introduction to the Course
2. (January 15) Civilization Before Greece [read Saggs]
3. (January 17) Origins and Definition of "Greece" [read Scarre/Fagan]
4. (January 20) Martin Luther King Day No Class
5. (January 22) Overview of Classical Period [read Pomeroy/Burstein chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9]
6. (January 24) Test (on names, dates, places list)
7. (January 27) Lecture: What is a Greek Polis?
Origins of the Greek Polis
8. (January 29) Polis in early Literature? [read Homer's Iliad book 1 and book 5 for clues to early polis formation]
9. (January 31) Modern View of Homer and the Polis [read Raaflaub]
10. (February 3) Hoplites and the Early Polis [read Van Wees, optional Hanson]
11. (February 5) Religion and Games versus military as unifying force [read Coldstream]
12. (February 7) Leadership Competition: Tyrants versus 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. (February 10) The End of Tyranny in Athens [read Herodotus 5.55-76/pp. 331-9 and pp. 157-166 of Aristotle's Athenian Constitution ]
Persian Conflicts
14. (February 12) Persia: origins of Achaemenid empire [read Herodotus 1.105-130/pp. 49-61 and Inscription ]
15. (February 14) Persians versus Ionian Greeks [read Herodotus 1.141-70/pp. 64-75, 4.88-119/pp. 270-80, 5.98-126/pp. 351-9]
16. (February 17) Persian War: Marathon and Thermopylae [read Herodotus 6.97-117/pp. 394-403, 7.172-228/pp. 476-95]
17. (February 19) 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]
18. (February 21) Persian and Greek view of Persia after wars [read Cook and Aeschylus' Persians]*
Athenian Democracy versus Spartan Aristocracy
19. (February 24) Lecture: Naval Warfare
20. (February 26) Athenian Democracy [read Aristotle's Athenian Constitution pp.142-172 ]
21. (February 28) Sparta: Ancient Perspective [read Plutarch's Lycurgus]
22. (March 3) Spartan Society [read Spartan Women by Paul Cartledge]
23. (March 5) Spartan Tradition [read Spartan Tradition by Paul Cartledge]
23. (March 7) Midterm exam
The Peloponnesian War
24. (March 17) The Peloponnesian War: Pericles' Funeral Oration [read Thucydides pp. 136-64/2.18-65]
25. (March 19) The Revolt of Mytilene [read Thucydides pp. 194-223/3.1-50]
26. (March 21) Athenian Demagogues: Cleon [read Aristophanes Knights]
27. (March 24) {PROJECT DUE} Lecture: Greek Architecture and Engineering
28. (March 26) Athenian Expansion: The Melian Dialogue [read Thucydides pp. 400-8/5.84-116; 35-49/1.1-23 (Thuc.'s introduction)]
29. (March 28) Athenian Expansion II: The Sicilian Expedition [read Thucydides pp. 409-29/6.1-32]
30. (March 31) Athenian Legal System [read Aristophanes' Wasps]
31. (April 2) Democracy Overthrown: the 400 in Athens [read Thucydides pp. 562-599/8.45-98]
32. (April 4) Democracy and Imperialism reviewed: Athens' own view [read Euripides Trojan Women]
33. (April 7) Democracy and Imperialism reviewed II: Epigraphical Evidence [read Fornara]
34. (April 9) Democracy and Imperialism reviewed III: the contemporary Greek view [read Pseudo-Xenophon]
Sunset/Evening of the Sovereign Polis
35. (April 11) The Life of a Greek Mercenary [read Xenophon's Anabasis]
36. (April 14) Lecture: The Fall of Spartan Hegemony
37. (April 16) Lecture: Fall of Thebes and the Rise of Macedon
[APRIL 18 – NO CLASS FOR STUDENT SYMPOSIUM]
38. (April 21) Philip II of Macedon in Athens' Eyes [read Demosthenes' Olynthiacs]
39. (April 23) Lecture: the Fate of the Polis under Hellenistic Kings
40. (April 25) Lecture: the Polis in the Roman Empire/ Review for Final Exam
41. (April 29, 9AM) 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.
- A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture, Pomeroy, Burstein et al.
- Selected readings linked to the electronic syllabus.
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.
Artificial Intelligence Assistance Policy: Since the instructor has provided all students access to spiderai.richmond.edu, all students are encouraged to explore how ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can enhance their learning experience. But to make this process transparent and productive, students should explicitly eludicate, and critique, their experiences using AI within all graded work.
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 1–27-2025